arena Swim of the Week: Roos Vanotterdijk Breaks Belgian Record, Joins Sub-59 Club In 100 Back

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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk has been incredibly active over the last four months, delivering some standout swims while competing across Europe.

Vanotterdijk has raced in six different meets since the beginning of November, most recently taking on the Flanders Swimming Cup (LCM) in Antwerp.

The 20-year-old set lifetime bests in three events, highlighted by what she did in the 100 backstroke.

Vanotterdijk cracked the elusive 59-second barrier in the event for the first time, clocking 58.97 to knock more than six-tenths off her Belgian National Record of 59.62 set in February 2023 at the same meet.

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Vanotterdijk is the 36th woman in history to break 59 seconds in the 100 back, and just the ninth European ever to do it.

All-Time European Performers, Women’s 100 Back (LCM)

1. Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 58.08 – 2021 European Championships
2. Gemma Spofforth (GBR), 58.12 – 2009 World Championships
3. Anastasia Fesikova (RUS), 58.18 – 2009 World Championships
4. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 58.45 – 2016 Olympic Games
5. Kira Toussaint (NED), 58.65 – 2021 Eindhoven Qualification Meet
6. Mie Nielsen (DEN), 58.73 – 2016 European Championships
7. Emma Terebo (FRA), 58.79 – 2024 French Elite Championships
8. Margherita Panziera (FRA), 58.92 – 2019 Italian Championships
9. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL), 58.97 – 2025 Flanders Swimming Cup
10. Maria Kameneva (RUS), 59.06 – 2023 Russian Swimming Cup

Vanotterdijk also broke the Belgian Record in the 100 free at the meet, clocking 53.62 to smash her previous mark of 54.51 set in 2023, and she added a PB of 25.02 in the 50 free. She was .01 off her best time and Belgian Record in the 50 back (27.98), .02 off her lifetime best in the 50 fly (25.95), and added a win in the 100 fly (58.18), with her PB sitting at 57.25.

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