2016 BERGEN SWIM FESTIVAL
- Friday, May 27th – Sunday, May 29th
- Alexander Dale Oen Arena, Bergen, Norway
- Friday – prelims at 3pm local/9am EDT; Saturday – prelims at 9am local/3am EDT, finals 5pm local/11am EDT; Sunday – prelims at 9am local/3am EDT, finals at 3pm local/9am EDT
- Event Schedule
- Entry Lists
- Live Timing
- Results
Over 600 swimmers descended upon the Alexander Dale Oen Arena in Bergen, Norway this weekend to compete in the 2016 Bergen Swim Festival. One competitor stole the show, however, as Hungarian Katinka Hosszu rocked a monstrous event schedule over the course of the 3-day affair, highlighted by throwing down 12 separate splashes on night 2, followed by 11 individual races on night 3.
Amid her gold medal-winning swims, however, the 27-year-old World Champion managed to sneak in a personal best in a prelims session. While competing in the morning of day 2, Hosszu fired off a super quick 4:04.96 to notch a lifetime best in the 400m freestyle. For an athlete who competes seemingly every meet she can, clocking a personal best is notable indeed.
As the first swim of the morning, Hosszu managed to pull in the 4:04.96, bettering her own previous personal best of 4:05.51 she clocked at Mare Nostrum Monte Carlo in 2014. As such, her new mark represents the first time the #IronLady has ventured into sub-4:05 territory.
Below is a break-down of her splits:
Hosszu’s Previous 400m freestyle Personal Best – 4:05.51
58.84
1:01.91
1:03.22
1:01.54
Hosszu’s New 400m freestyle Personal Best – 4:04.96
58.91
1:01.64
1:02.36
1:01.45
Comparing the two-year-gapped performances, Hosszu was able to take it out almost equally as strong, but managed to hold on with a much quicker 3rd 100 split, dropping her 1:03.22 from 2014 to a mere 1:02.36 this time around in Bergen.
Amazingly, Hosszu charged through the lane essentially uncontested, as the next-closest competitor during prelims, Japan’s Natsumi Hoshi, finished over 19 seconds later in a time of 4:23.03. Come finals of this event the following day, Hosszu still nabbed the gold, but with a much slower time of 4:15.26. At that point she was in the midst of her night 3’s 11-event siege.
Hungary’s golden girl now rests as the 9th-fastest 400m freestyle woman in the world this season, which is especially pronounced given she swam alone in this race and the event is lower down the list of those in which she is most dangerous.
She swam pb in 100 breast and in 50 breast (3 times) too.
Is it me or does 37 races and a pb in the 400 free just seem odd?
Not just a Pb but a time that would put her on any nation’s 400 m Olympic entry . perhaps only USA being the exception with Kl out in front & a race in the 4 03-4 for 2nd .
Again KH was never a mid distance freestyler of note but here she is at 27 throwing down Olympic finalist times.
Weve got 2 months to go – maybe she will get a 66.5/2.20 breastroke .Come on Katknka! Show those lousy breastrokers !
I love swimming, and love to see fast swimming. However, the more KH does this, the more I doubt it, she seems to be swimming and improving like an age group swimmer the older she gets. I would love to see her training sessions, where and when she trains, and how she manages to never get ill with all these swims/competitions and related long haul flights. Perhaps I am just cynical, perhaps I need to believe more in amazing feets of athleticism. I don’t think I am alone though, other swimming websites highlight the KH outlier.
Hosszu was not interested with who was swimming in the next lanes of this heat. She tried to retake the Hungarian record. Boglarka Kapas had swum en 4’3s47 at London height days ago, and beaten the record of Hosszu by two seconds, and Hosszu could not accept that.
And in the afternoon, she resumed her business mind, It is not: take the money and run, but run and take the money…
…Competitors are very special persons and Hosszu is a very special competitor….
Splits add up to faster time!!
I would hope she would charge through her lane uncontested. ; )