Evelyn Verraszto (HUN), in 2:04.62, tore a strip off her own shiny suits world record over 200m medley at the European s/c Championships in Istanbul for the 236th world mark of the shiny suits era. The standard had stood at 2:06.01 for many years... oops, sorry ... make that since the Moscow round of the world cup on November 6.
The best time ever in textile is the 2:07.79 at which American Allison Wagner had held the world mark. That standard would have placed her 7th in Istanbul this evening and has been surpassed 22 times by 17 women and their suits in the past 18 months. Thrilling.
Verraszto's teammate Daniel Gyurta, having set the 141st European record of the shiny suits era with a 56.89 effort in morning heats of the 100m breaststroke, took the tally to 142 in semis with a 56.79 effort, 1.18sec outside the world-record pace of Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA). The 143rd Euro mark fell to Markus Roga (AUT) in the 200m medley, his time 1:51.72.
After Inge Dekker (NED) had taken the champs record in the 100m free in 51.85 in heats - the mark taken from absent teammmate Marleen Veldhuis, out of the water during pregancy - another member of the Olympic 4x100m champion quartet, Ranomi Kromowidjojo took the mark down to 51.54, Dekker on 51.86, in semis.
The session came to a close with the 144th European record of the year: 1:31.80 for the Russian men's 4x50m medley. As ever in Europe, the time was announced as a world record, even though no such thing exists, the event not one recognised by FINA nor swum at any other international championship. The Russians had set the mark at 1:32.08 ... now let's see how long this one lasted ... ah, yes, there it is ... in morning heats.
A summary of the action in Istanbul on the first day of the last championships to allow non-textile bodysuits that enhanced performance in 2008-09 and will be banned from January 1, 2010:
Finals
- Men 400m freestyle
- 1. Paul Biedermann (GER) 3:34.55cr
- 2. Nikita Lobintsev (RUS) 3:35.75
- 3. Mads Glaesner (DEN) 3:36.82
- Men 200m backstroke
- 1. Stanislav Donets (RUS) 1:48.62
- 2. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL) 1:49.13
- 3. Evgeny Aleshin (RUS) 1:49.31
- Women's 200m medley
- 1. Evelyn Verraszto (HUN) 2:04.62wr
- 2. Francesca Segat (ITA) 2:06.21
- 3. Hannah Miley (GBR) 2:06.96
- Women's 200m 'fly
- 1. Aurore Mongel (FRA) 2:03.22cr
- 2. Petra Granlund (SWE) 2:03.82
- 3. Franziska Henke (GER) 2:04.68
- Men 200m medley
- 1 Markus Rogan 1:51.72er
- 2 Vytautas Janusaitis (LTU) 1:52.22
- 3 Alan Cabello (ESP) 1:53.04
- Men 50m free
- 1 Fred Bousquet (FRA) 20.53
- 2 Duje Draganja (CRO) 20.70
- 3 Sergey Fesikov (RUS) 20.84
- Women 50m breaststroke
- 1 Moniek Nijhuis (NED) 29.68
- 2 Jane Trepp (EST) 29.82
- 3 Janne Schaeffer (GER) 29.92
- Men 4x50m medley
- 1. Russia 1:31.80er (world best)
- 2. Germany 1:32.02
- 3. France 1:32.13
And that concluded the entertainment.
At the East Asia Games in Hong Kong, China ended the meet in the pool one gold ahead of Japan, 20 to 19. Cheng Wan-jung, of Taiwan, won the 400m medley in 4:40.21; Li Zhesi (CHN) clocked 24.68 in the 50m free; Cai Li (CHN) took the men's sprint in 22.56; Ryusuke Sakata (JPN) claimed the 200 'fly in 1:55.23; Wang Xinyu (CHN) was 800m free champion in 8:37.88; Sun Yang (CHN) clocked 3:46.16 for the 400m free win. Times are all irrelevant to what will unfold next year, when new suit rules come into force and performance is no longer shadowed by its suit.
