2019 BELGIAN OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Friday, May 17th – Sunday, May 19th
- Olympic Swimming Center Wezenberg, Antwerp, Belgium
- LCM
- Belgian 2019 World Championships Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Start List
- Live Results
National Record holder, Olympic medalist and newly-minted FINA Champions Series gold medalist Pieter Timmers wasn’t in the water on day 1 of the 2019 Belgian Open Swimming Championships, but there was plenty of action going down in Antwerp.
18-year-old Axana Merckx took on the tough 200m back and 400m IM double for the women, claiming gold in each event. Merckx notched a time of 2:18.19 in the former event and 4:55.31 in the latter to collect double victories to kick-off her campaign.
Visiting Hungarian teen Ajna Kesely was also in the water, producing a time of 8:49.83 in the women’s 800m free for the win. That’s well off her season-best of 8:27.60 that garnered the teen gold at last year’s Youth Olympic Games, but enough to handily hold off the Belgian field here.
The only World Championships qualifying time met on day 1 came in the form of veteran Fanny Lecluyse‘s time of 30.92 in the women’s 50m breast. That easily dipped under the 31.22 minimum mark for Gwangju, as well as moves the Short Course World Championships bronze medalist into slot #13 the season’s world rankings.
2018-2019 LCM WOMEN 50 BREAST
KING
29.63
| 2 | Yuliya EFIMOVA | RUS | 29.93 | 05/31 |
| 3 | Benedetta PILATO | ITA | 29.98 | 07/27 |
| 4 | Martina CARRARO | ITA | 30.23 | 07/27 |
| 5 | Alia ATKINSON | JAM | 30.31 | 08/17 |
| 6 | Molly HANNIS | USA | 30.40 | 05/31 |
| 7 | Jhennifer CONCEICAO ALVES | BRA | 30.42 | 06/08 |
| 8 | Ida HULKKO | FIN | 30.66 | 04/12 |
| 9 | Imogen CLARK | GBR | 30.68 | 02/16 |
| 10 | Jessica HANSEN | AUS | 30.69 | 07/27 |
| 11 | Breeja LARSON | USA | 30.70 | 06/22 |
| 12 | Alina ZMUSHKA | BLR | 30.71 | 07/27 |
| 13 | Sarah VASEY | GBR | 30.72 | 04/16 |
| 14 | Renoa AOKI | JPN | 30.78 | 05/30 |
| 15 | Satomi SUZUKI | JPN | 30.86 | 05/30 |
Additional Winners on Day 1:
- The men’s 200m free saw Alexandre Marcourt lead the field in a tie of 1:49.48, off his season-best of 1:48.88 from January’s Euro Meet. The women’s edition of the race saw Valentine Dumont take gold in 1:59.60, while Kesely earned her 2nd medal of the night in 2:00.13 for silver.
- Thomas Dal wrapped up the men’s 400m IM victory in 4:22.98.
- Kimberly Buys, new member of the ISL Team Aqua Centurions, produced the fastest 100m fly for the women, topping the podium in 59.74.
- Louis Croenen put down a winning time of 53.78 for the men’s 100m fly.
- Visiting Dutch athlete Ties Elzerman hit the wall first in the men’s 50m breast in 27.99.
- The men’s 1500m free saw Logan Vanhuys clocked the quickest mark in 15:59.25.
