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| Alshammar Out of this World |
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Swedish superfish Therese Alshammar put the entire swimming world on notice after obliterating two of the four world marks eclipsed at the first leg of the 2009 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup, held in Durban (RSA) on October 16-17. Alshammar, who spent time in Sydney earlier this year to train under NSWIS coach Grant Stoelwinder and his squad, trimmed Queenslander Emily Seebohm’s world mark of 58.54 in the 100m IM, to register a time of 58.51 and also claim her first of two USD$10,000 world record bonus cheques. The thirty-two-year-old then backed up to splinter another Australian world mark, this time in the 50m butterfly where she erased Marieke Guehrer (24.99) from the record books and etched in her own name with a scintillating 24.75. The Johan Wallberg coached Alshammar also catapulted to the top of the lucrative USD$100,000 over points leader board on 65 points, with American Jessica Hardy second on 40, while last year’s winner Guehrer is clinging on to third with 16 points. Other world marks to crumble in Durban included the 50m breaststroke, where twenty-two-year-old Jessica Hardy bettered her previous world record to touch the wall in 29.45 (she had established the previous WR in Manchester, in April 2008, with the time of 29.58). Her compatriot Peter Marshall, the current overall points score leader for men on 40 points, swam the men's 50m backstroke in 22.75, improving the previous world record set by United States short course specialist Randall Bal (22.87) in Berlin, in November 2008. in addition to the World Records, there were seven new World Cup records in Durban: among men, Peter Marshall in the 100m backstroke (49.40), George Du Rand (RSA) in the 200m backstroke (1:49.53) and Roland Schoeman (RSA) in the 50m breaststroke (25.90) and 50m butterfly (22.32). In the women’s field, World Cup records were set by Jessica Hardy in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.15), Therese Alshammar in the 100m butterfly (56.12), and by Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) in the 50m backstroke (26.55). Swimmers from South Africa dominated the competition, with a total of 13 gold medals (out of 34 at stake) – 10 among men and three in the women’s events. With Thanks To Swimming Australia Calendar of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2009:
NEXT MEET: November 6-7 in Moscow (RUS)
Provisional leaders of the World Cup after the 1st meet:
FINA/ARENA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2009
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By |
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WOMEN (W) |
MEN (M) |
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50m free |
Therese Alshammar (SWE) 23.74 |
Stefan Nystrand (SWE) 21.29 |
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100m free |
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) 52.46 |
Sergey Fesikov (RUS) 46.30 |
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200m free |
Felicity Galvez (AUS) 1:57.60 |
Darian Townsend (RSA) 1:42.79 |
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400m free |
Jessica Pengelly (RSA) 4:11.62 |
Dominik Meichtry (SUI) 3:42.09 |
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800m free (W) |
Kathryn Meaklim (RSA) 8:29.51 |
- |
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1500m free (M) |
- |
Heerden Herman (RSA) 14:49.17 |
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50m backstr. |
Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) 26.55** |
Peter Marshall (USA) 22.75* |
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100m backstr. |
Fabiola Molina (BRA) 57.77 |
Peter Marshall (USA) 49.40** |
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200m backstr. |
Whitney Myers (USA) 2:07.26 |
George Du Rand (RSA) 1:49.53** |
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50m breaststr. |
Jessica Hardy (USA) 29.45* |
Roland Schoeman (RSA) 25.90** |
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100m breaststr. |
Jessica Hardy (USA) 1:04.15** |
Cameron vd Burgh (RSA) 56.60 |
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200m breaststr. |
Nadja Higl (SRB) 2:20.41 |
Neil Versfeld (RSA) 2:03.35 |
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50m butterfly |
Therese Alshammar (SWE) 24.75* |
Roland Schoeman (RSA) 22.32** |
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100m butterfly |
Therese Alshammar (SWE) 56.12** |
Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS) 50.23 |
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200m butterfly |
Felicity Galvez (AUS) 2:05.55 |
Chad Le Clos (RSA) 1:54.45 |
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100m medley |
Jessica Hardy (USA) 59.93 |
Sergey Fesikov (RUS) 51.96 |
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200m medley |
Whitney Myers (USA) 2:09.10 |
Darian Townsend (RSA) 1:53.13 |
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400m medley |
Kathryn Meaklim (RSA) 4:30.53 |
Chad Le Clos (RSA) 4:05.04 |
* World Record
** World Cup Record
