The 145th European record of the year got the sliding and gliding s/c champs underway in Istanbul this morning. Stanislav Donets (RUS) shaved 0.6sec off his own shiny suit standard to claim the helm of heats in the 50m backstroke on 22.80, 0.22sec ahead of former world record holder from a time of textile, Thomas Rupprath (GER).
Next up, Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) downed her own champs record with a 25.13 heat in the 50m butterfly, before Hungarians set up a potential 1-2 in the 400m medley, Laszlo Cseh on 4:02.93 ahead of teammate David Verraszto, on 4:03.31.
Katharina Stiberg (NOR), 21, wiped out Hanna-Maria Seppala's 100m medley CR in morning heats with a 59.12 effort that compares to a best of 1:00.37 a year ago and a textile best of 1:01.88 from winter season 2007-08.
And so we streamline towards the second day of finals as we make our way inexorably to that joyous January 1, 2010 deadline.
