Connect with Us:
Friis Sets World Textile Best: 8:07.53
Dec 9, 2011 - Craig Lord
Lotte Friis (DEN) today claimed the world textile-suit standard over 800m freestyle with an 8:07.53 victory at the European short-course Championships in Szczecin, Poland.
The textile standard had stood to Kate Zeigler (USA) at 8:08.00 since 2007, while the world record stands to Alessia Filippi (ITA) at 8:04.53 since the rubber-suited Rijeka championships of 2008. Friis's best from the shiny suit era is 8:04.61, second fastest ever assisted time.
Inside world-record pace for half of the race before falling away a touch, Friis said: "“I didn’t swim tactically but did my own race from the front. I wanted to start fast. However, I didn’t know that I was below the World Record splits for half of the race."
It was a fine day for Denmark in the pool with three golds medals in one session alone, more than they have won in total at previous championships after all is swum and done. Worth noting too, however, that the medals table at the championships reflects the fact that a large number of top European swimmers simply did not show for the event this year as they prepare for Olympic trials and the main event itself in London next summer. The very best of Britain, France, the Netherlands and Sweden among those missing.
Friis confined world s/c champion Erika Villaecija (ESP) to silver in 8:12.23, with Spain taking a second bite at the podium courtesy of Melanie Costa, on 8:16.28, Grainne Murphy (IRL) just off the podium pace in 8:19.39.
The Dane won from the front, 2sec up on the pack at 100m, 3sec at 200m, almost 5sec at half-way. From there, she maintained her lead, the gold in her grasp throughout. Ziegler's splits back in 2007 were more in keeping with Villaecija's but with a stronger back end in which she would have taken 2.5sec off Friis on the clock over the last 300m.
The splits compared:
The American set what was then then work record on a tour of Germany in Essen in October 2007.
In the men's 400m medley, Lazslo Cseh (HUN) led from start to a 4:01.68 victory over teammate David Verraszto, who gave Hungary a 1-2 finish in 4:03.03, Gal Nevo (ISR) taking his second bronze of the meet in 4:04.49. That locked out Markus Rogan (AUT), on 4:05.81.
Cseh's time is the second best inn the world this season after the 4:01.49 return to 400m medley racing of Olympic champion ahead of Cseh's silver in Beijing 2008, Michael Phelps (USA), at the Berlin round of the World Cup in October.
Cseh first won the crown in 2003, retained it in 2004 and 2005, lost it to Lica Marin in 2006, hit back with another victory in 2007, skipped 2008 in the wake of three silvers behind Phelps at Beijing 2008, then claimed a fifth crown in 2009 before skipping 2010's event. Today marked a record sixth victory, one that contributed to Hungary enjoying a dominant 7 gold, 4 silver and a bronze on the historic medal table at the annual winter showcase for Europe over 400m medley.
Like Cseh on medley, Rikke Moeller Pedersen (DEN), champion in 2009, led from start to finish in the 200m breaststroke, her 2:19.55 effort giving Denmark its second gold of the session ahead of defending champion Anastasia Chaun (RUS), on 2:20.84, and Fanny Lecluyse (BEL), on 2:21.14.
World long-course champion Alex Dale Oen (NOR), the fastest man in a textile suit ever, came through from third at the half-way turn to claim the continental 100m breaststroke crown in the little pool on 57.05, third best ever in textile behind Felipe da Silva (BRA) and Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA), the only two to have broken 57sec.
On 26.82 at the turn, Dale Oen sat at the shoulder of Damir Dugonjic (SLO), on 26.68, and defending champion Fabio Scozzoli (ITA), on 26.75. On the way home, the Norwegian's 30.23 did the trick, Dugonjic on 57.29 for silver, Scozzoli on 57.30 for bronze. Dale Oen's previous best at the continental winter showcase was bronze back in 2006.
Like Dale Oen in the breaststroke, the winner of the women's 100m freestyle came through from third at the 50m turn to victory at the touch. Britta Steffen (GER) tasted gold for the first time since the shiny circus of Rome 2009 with a 51.94 triumph 0.11sec ahead of joint world champion Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), with Amy Smith (GBR) splitting the Dane's fellow world title holder for bronze, her 52.77 effort 0.09sec the better of Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR).
Smith turned first in 24.94 at half-way, with Ottesen on 24.99 and Steffen on 25.09. The Olympic champion and world l/c record holder then cracked out a 26.85sec return, the only sub 27sec return in the race, for gold, and 0.98sec swifter than Smith, Ottesen the only one in the race close to Steffen's pace in the hunt for the wall, on 27.06 over the last 50m.
Steffen was back later to win a second gold as a member of a German 4x50m freestyle quartet that she led to victory with a 24.11 split ahead of the first line-up off the blocks. Dorothea Brandt (23.88), Paulina Schmiedel (24.98) and Daniel Schreiber (24.32) shared gold with Steffen in 1:37.29, Denmark second in 1:37.63 (Ottesen just falling shy of causing upset with a 23.41 homecoming scorcher), Italy third in 1:38.12.
Ottesen shrugged off defeat a little later in the session with gold in the 50m 'fly in a championship record of 24.92, a dominant effort ahead of silver for Triin Aljand (EST), on 25.51, and bronze for Sviatlana Khakhalova (BLR), on 25.96. Ottesen's time was just shy of the best time ever in textile, a 24.87 effort by Therese Alshammar (SWE) last year.
Daryna Zevina (UKR) took gold in 56.96 over 100m backstroke, the first time a European woman has crackers 57sec without assistance from her suit. The silver went to Anastasia Zueva (RUS) on 57.12, bronze to Mie Nielsen (DEN) in 57.57. Zevina was third at the 50m turn on 28.01, the pace set by Georgia Davies (GBR), on 27.62. In 28.95, Zevina was the only sub-29sec swimmer on the way home, Davies on 57.80 just outside the lifetime best she set at 57.71 in semis, for fifth 0.1sec behind Duane Da Rocha (ESP).
In the men's 100m butterfly, Konrad Czerniak gave the Polish hosts a boost with a 49.62 victory over world record holder and champion Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS), on 49.88, the bronze going to Francois Heersbrandt (BEL) in 50.44. The Russian was first at the turn in 23.00, 0.2sec ahead of the Polish challenger, who got the upper hand on the way home with a 26.42 split to 26.88 for Korotyshkin.
In the last solo final of the evening, Aschwin Wildeboer (ESP) took the 50m backstroke in 23.43 ahead of Flori Lang (SUI), on 23.57, bronze going to Pavel Sankovich (BLR) in 23.64.
