Berlin ISM: Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini (ITA) added to wins over 800m (8:31) and 400m (4:05) at the German meet by taking the 200m free in 1:58.13, fastest in the world so far this year. The meet marked Pellegrini's 2010 competitive debut. Her teammate Filippo Magnini clocked 1:48.36 in the 200m free. Pellegrini was reported to have been "very pleased" with her start to the first season with her former coach, Alberto Castagnetti, who died last October following heart surgery. Filippo Magnini, world 100m free champion in 2005 and 2007 was in line with the best sprinters in the world once more with a 2010 opening gambit of 49.32.
France: At the Montpellier meet, Albert Subirats (VEN) clocked 53.13 to win the 100m 'fly ahead of Frédérick Bousquet, on 53.64 on Saturday. Today, Fabien Gilot took the lead among French free sprinters this season with a 49.38 win over Bousquet, on 49.44, William Meynard (49.68) and Gregory Mallet (49.80). On Friday, Bousquet won the 50 free and 'fly in times of 22.46 and 24.01, the freestyle ahead of Gilot (23.09) and Mallet (23.10). Much mention in the French media of the difference between polyurethane and textile. Suffice it to say that by the end of February last year, France had three sub-49 swimmers, a month later four and a month later one man inside 47, four others inside 48 and one just outside it. Mallet won the 200m this year in 1:50.34, Camille Lacourt clocked 2:01.75 in the 200m backstroke and Giacomo Perez Dortona won the 100m breaststroke in 1:02.79. Kim Vanderburg (USA) won the 100m 'fly in 59.77, ahead of Diane Bui Duyet in 1:01.24.
USA: Stanford claimed its 29th straight Pac-10 Men's Swimming Championships on Saturday evening at the Belmont Shores Olympic Pool in Long Beach, California. Stanford amassed 897 points, the California Golden Bears claimed second with 829.5 points and Arizona was third on 654.5 points. Stanford's Eugene Godsoe took the Swimmer of the Meet crown, winning both backstrokes (100 and 200y, 1:40.97) as well as taking four second places. In the midst of the action, the 1,650y free, the closet thing you get to 1,500m without it being metres or matching the distance, saw Chad LaTourette, of Stanford, clock 14:46.70 ahead of Stanford junior David Mosko (14:57.37) and freshman from Britain, Richard Charlesworth (14:57.39), of USC. Nathan Adrian, of California, took the 100y free in 42.35 ahead of Cal junior Graeme Moore, on 42.72.
