The 2011 Polish National Championships wrapped up yesterday from Ostrowiec SW, with several more swimmers earning themselves automatic qualifying times for the 2011 FINA World Championship in Shanghai. As has been true throughout the meet, most of the success was on the men’s side of the pool, including FINA Automatic Qualifying Times in 3 out of the day’s 4 finals events.
The Polish men got off to a hot start thanks to Konrad Czerniak‘s 3rd top-15 time in the 100 free in 48.76. This is the 14th-fastest time in the world this year (he’s top 10 in both the 50 free and 100 fly). Cal swimmer Marcin Tarczynski was 2nd in 50.79. Close behind them, amongst others, were great times from a pair of 17-year olds: Daniel Rzadkowski, touching at 51.06, and Michal Poprawa (who set a 17 & under record in the 200 free yesterday) in 51.16.
Dawid Szulich crushed the field by two seconds, and his own career-best time by a full second, in the men’s 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:01.18. This is his first World Championship qualifying swim of the meet, and ranks him 23rd in the world this year.
In the meet’s last individual race, Mateusz Sawrymowicz won the men’s 1500 in a blistering 15:00.82 that ranks him 4th in the world this year. While his is 15-seconds off of his career-best time, it is a bit of a resurgent swim for the 24-year old swimmer, since it’s the best time he’s swum by far since 2008. Sawrymowicz was the 2007 World Championship winner in this race, which was notable since he knocked Grant Hackett from his 5th-straight title in front of a home crowd in Australia. However, he’s struggled a bit with his times for the last two-plus years. He might be hitting his stride again juts in time for the big meets though, based on this swim.
Kataryna Wilk won the women’s 100 free in 55.60, which is shy of the World Championship automatic qualifying mark. She did, however, post a 54.95 at Euro’s last year, which clears the FINA Automatic Qualifying standard. That should be enough for the Polish Swimming Federation to stamp her ticket to Shanghai.
Other winners on the final day include:
17-year old Weronika Paluszek in the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:10.57 (a career-best time by just shy of a second).
Anna Dowgiert in the women’s 50 fly in 27.16.
Marcin Babuchowski in the men’s 50 fly in 24.58.
Paula Zukowska in the women’s 800 free in 8:51.37.
