BARCELONA (SPAIN) 6 – 7 June – XXXth Gran Premi Ciutat de Barcelona
Mare Nostrum, Barcelona: Meet Records Take Beating — June 6, 2009 (www.swimmingworldmagazine.com)
BARCELONA, Spain, June 6. THE first night of long course meter swimming at the Mare Nostrum stop in Barcelona, Spain featured plenty of new meet records going into the books.
Joanne Jackson began the night with a winning time of 8:24.48 in the women’s 800 free. That swim beat Wendy Trott’s meet record of 8:26.88 from last year. Trott finished second in 8:32.93, while Erika Villaecija Garcia took third in 8:38.82.
Valentina Artemyeva held off Russian teammate, and pending world-record holder, Yuliya Efimova, 30.56 to 30.90, in the women’s 50 breast. Artemyeva’s time beat Leisel Jones’ meet record of 30.77 set in 2006. Efimova, meanwhile, is still awaiting news on whether her world record (30.05) swum in an unapproved suit will be ratified. Kerstin Vogel took third in 31.36.
Andrew Lauterstein posted a pair of meet-record progressions in the men’s 50 fly. First, he clocked a 23.70 in prelims before smashing that standard with a 23.36 to win the event finale. Rafael Munoz, the pending world-record holder with a 22.43 to his credit in an unapproved suit, touched just behind Lauterstein with a 23.37 for second. Roland Schoeman wound up in a third-place tie with Mike Cavic in 23.63.
Hannah Miley raced by Stephanie Rice’s meet record in the women’s 400 IM. Miley clocked a 4:34.41 for the win, beating Rice’s 4:35.82 from last year. Mireia Belmonte Garcia took second in 4:39.01, while Keri-Anne Payne touched third in 4:40.63.
Anastasia Zueva provided the meet’s first sub-1:00 time in the women’s 100 back with a winning effort of 59.95. That performance beat Emily Seebohm’s record of 1:00.58 from last year. Lizzie Simmonds placed second in 1:00.81, while Sophie Edington took third in 1:01.35.
Christian Sprenger downed the meet record in the men’s 100 breast twice. First, he turned in a 1:00.70 in prelims before racing to a 1:00.38 for the event title. Cameron van der Burgh touched second in 1:01.01, while Mark Gangloff took third in 1:01.26.
Libby Trickett produced a meet record in the women’s 50 free. She recorded a 24.21 to win the event, and clear Therese Alshammar’s 24.61 set in 2007. Alshammar finished second in 24.52, while Fran Halsall took third in 24.54.
Nikita Lobintsev smashed the men’s 400 free meet record with a 3:44.97. That performance erased the 3:47.89 set by Grant Hackett back in 2007. Yury Prilukov placed second in 3:51.43 with Marcos Rivera Miranda winding up third in 3:52.59.
In other action, Liam Tancock won the men’s 50 back in 25.52, while Gerhard Zandberg finished second in 25.67. Camille Lacourt took third in 25.82.
Cesar Cielo topped the men’s 100 free in 48.83 with Evgeny Lagunov (48.87) and Andrey Grechin (49.01) touching second and third. The 100 free finale featured a stocked field as well. Stefan Nystrand (4th/49.24), Fred Bousquet (5th/49.26) and Fabien Gilot (6th/49.62) all finished among the top six. Meanwhile, Cullen Jones finished 11th in 50.04 after posting a 49.87 in prelims. Also in prelims, Eamon Sullivan posted a 50.07 with Amaury Leveaux touching in 50.67.
Sullivan scratched finals due to illness, and withdrew from the rest of the Barcelona leg of the Mare Nostrum.
“He hasn’t recovered as well as we thought from the virus that he brought into the meet, so he’s decided to rest, and get himself right for Canet,” Australian head coach Alan Thompson told Swimming Australia. “He’s just got a bit of a flu, and stomach virus, but he will be right for Canet.”
Felix Wolf touched out Pierre Roger, 2:01.68 to 2:01.71, for the men’s 200 back crown. Scott Mathaway finished third in 2:02.66.
Mirna Jukic came up a bit short of her European record of 2:22.46 with a 2:22.84 to win the women’s 200 breast. Efimova settled for second once again with a 2:26.11, while Miley demonstrated her range with a third-place time of 2:30.62.
Dinko Jukic pocketed the men’s 200 fly title in 1:56.53, while Nikolay Skvortsov took second in 1:58.08. Michael Rock wound up third in 1:58.89. Sarah Sjostrom won the women’s 100 fly in 57.90, while Jessicah Schipper took second in 58.26. Felicity Galvez rounded out the top three in 58.31.
In the men’s 200 IM, Goddard snatched the title in 2:01.75 with Vytautas Janusaitis (2:02.00) and Alan Cabello Forns (2:02.94) completing the podium.
Also of note, members of SwimMAC-Carolina, The Bolles School and Club Natacio Sabadell are participating in a bit of an exchange program as SwimMAC and Bolles have swimmers at the meet this weekend.
