Seto and Ottesen Break Competition Records in Monaco

2015 MARE NOSTRUM SERIES

• Canet-en-Roussillon, France – June 6-7
• Barcelona, Spain – June 10-11
• Monaco – June 13-14
• Mare Nostrum website
• SwimSwam’s full coverage
• Start lists
• Monaco website
• Results will be posted here

Daiya Seto of Japan and Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark opened up the first night of competition in Monaco with two meet records.

Seto took the men’s 200 butterfly in a time of 1:54.68 beating his own record of 1:54.70 which he posted last year. He was also just off his season’s best of 1:54.46 which sits on top of the world rankings.

Defending world champion Chad le Clos of South Africa and Masato Sakai of Japan battled for the silver. At the 100 meter mark the men were separated by only one one-hundredth of second. At the 150 meter mark Sakai took at lead of just over half a second, but it was eventually le Clos collected the silver in a time of 1:55.47.

Kakai finished third in a time of 1:55.83.

Ottesen took the women’s 100 butterfly posting a time of 57.32. She broke her own record of 57.46 which she set last year. Ottesen was not far off her season’s best of 57.15.

She was followed by German Alexandra Wenk who managed to grab the silver from Rikako Ikee of Japan who finished four one-hundredths of a second behind. Wenk touched in a time of 58.91 while Ikee hit the wall in a time of 58.95.

Ottesen also put up the fastest time in the semi-finals of the women’s 50 butterfly recording a time of 26.60.

Kosuke Hagino of Japan also broke a meet record in the men’s 200 IM. Hagino narrowly got past teammate Seto to win the event in a time of 1:57.79 and also broke Seto’s competition mark of 1:58.14 set in 2013. Seto finished second in a time of 1:57.85 followed by American Ryan Lochte who touched in a time of 1:59.50.

Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu won three events on the first day of competition in Monaco. Hosszu took the women’s 400 IM in a time of 4:34.16 taking the event by over four seconds. Sakiko Shimizu of Japan finished second followed by teammate Chihiro Igarashi who hit the wall in a time of 4:43.89.

Hosszu was first victorious in the women’s 200 freestyle where she posted a time of 1:56.69. She was well off her season’s best of 1:55.89, but controlled the race leading from start to finish.

Charlotte Bonnet of France finished second in a time of 1:57.36 followed by German Annika Bruhn who hit the wall in a time of 1:59.25.

Hosszu also had complete control in the women’s 200 backstroke leading from wire to wire. Hosszu finished in a time of 2:08.54 nearly a second and a half ahead of Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe who finished second in a time of 2:10.01. German Jenny Mensing collected the bronze in a time of 2:10.53.

South African Myles Brown took the men’s 400 freestyle posting a time of 3:47.96. He was followed by Canadian Ryan Cochrane who collected the silver in a time of 3:49.40 and Florian Vogel of Germany who touched in a time of 3:49.67.

German Marco Koch won the men’s 200 breaststroke by almost two seconds recording a time of 2:09.35. He was followed by Yasuhiro Koseki of Japan who touched in a time of 2:11.25 and Christian Vom Lehn of Germany who finished in a time of 2:11.47.

Kanako Watanabe of Japan took the women’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:07.19. Watanabe and Rikke Moller Pedersen of Denmark had a good fight for the gold. Pedersen took the race out in a 31.99 followed by Watanabe who turned in a time of 32.27. Pedersen fell off the pace in the second 50 meters collecting the silver in a time of 1:07.44.

American Micah Lawrence finished third ini a time of 1:07.89.

Frenchman Jeremy Stravius and Katsumi Nakamura of Japan battled right to the finish in the men’s 100 freestyle. Stravius lead by 44 one-hundredths of a second at the halfway mark turning in a time of 23.53. Nakamura had the stronger second 50 meters, but did not have enough to catch Stravius who took the gold in a time of 49.12. Nakamura finished second in a time of 49.14.

The battle for the bronze was also a tight one. Ultimately German Paul Biedermann took the final piece of hardware in a time of 49.72 followed by American Ryan Locte who posted a 49.74 and Russian Andrey Grechin who finished in a time of 49.75.

Ryosuke Irie of Japan won the men’s 100 backstroke in a time of 53.27. He was followed by German Jan Phillip Glania who finished in a time of 54.58 and Masaki Kaneko of Japan who touched in a time of 54.65.

Leaders after the quarter-finals of the 50s include:

• Men’s 50 butterfly – Takeshi Kawamoto – 24.44
• Women’s 50 backstroke – Anastasia Fesikova – 28.44
• Men’s 50 backstroke – Carl Louis Schwarz – 25.67
• Women’s 50 breaststroke – Rikke Moller Pedersen – 31.65
• Men’s 50 breaststroke – Hendrik Feldwehr – 28.12
• Women’s 50 freestyle – Pernille Blume – 25.01
• Men’s 50 freestyle – Andrey Grechin – 22.61