World champ on a 2:06 back in July, Ariana Kukors is determined to prove herself all over again in 2010 and got her textile season well underway with a 2:10.34 effort over 200m medley at the Austin Grand Prix at the University of Texas today. That time, top of the early annual world rankings, knocked out Tracy Caulkins’ pool record from the 1980s in the 200m IM with a time of 2:10.34.
The best so far this year had been a 2:11.80 by backstroke ace Emily Seebohm (AUS). In Austin, Whitney Myers came in second on 2:13.89, with Justine Mueller third in 2:15.83. Kukors had a best of 2:10.40 in 2008.
Her training partner in California under the guidance of Sean Hutchison, Katie Hoff, clocked 4:10.57 in the 400m free to take second behind a strong swim for Chloe Sutton, on 4:07.41, second best in the world so far this year behind Jazz Carlin, of Britain, on 4:06.41 last month.
Olympic champion in the 50m free, Cesar Cielo laid down an opening 2010 marker on 22.13 ahead of Garrett Weber-Gale, on 22.24, with Matt Grevers third in 22.77. Cielo edges ahead on the early season world ranks, the best so far having been a 22.22 by Ashley Callus (AUS), a member of the Aussie Olympic 4x100m free quartet that knocked the US sideways at Sydney 2000. Callus celebrates his 31st birthday next week on the eve of Aussie trials for the Commonwealth Games.
In Austin, Grevers was back in the top 3 a little later: Masayuki Kishida (JPN) claimed the 100m fly in 53.30 to David Russell's 53.83 and 53.97 for Grevers. Peter Vanderkaay took the 400m free in 3:50.86 ahead of Michael Klueh, on 3:53.15, and the 200m medley went to Robert Margalis on 2:03.06.
Olympic silver medalist Christine Magnuson and Olympic teammates Dana Vollmer and comeback ace Natalie Coughlin had a close tussle in the 100m 'fly, the touch going to Vollmer in 58.42, Magnuson on 58.54 and Coughlin third in 58.94 on her first race outing since returning from a post-Beijing break from the sport. Jessica Hardy held off Amanda Weir 25.09 to 25.18 in the 50m free. Vollmer goes to the head of the early 2010 world ranks, with Magnuson second, the 58.73of Felicity Galvez (AUS) having topped the list before today.
Race footage can be found at USA Swimming's media venture, swimnetwork.com
