Rikke Moller Pedersen, Mie Nielsen and Sarah Sjostrom combined to close the Eindhoven Cup in the Netherlands with some fireworks. Moller Pedersen lowered her own world-leading mark in the 200 breast, while Nielsen and Sjostrom each won some big-time 100-meter races in highly-ranked times.
Moller Pedersen opened up the women’s events with her 200 breaststroke. The speedy Dane went 2:19.61, taking another three tenths off her season-best which already led our 2014 world ranks. Moller Pedersen now leads the world in that event by a whopping 2.5 seconds.
2014 LCM Women 200 Breast TYR World Ranking
MOLLER PEDERSEN
2.19.61
| 2 | Kanako WATANABE | JPN | 2.21.09 | 04/13 |
| 3 | Rie KANETOU | JPN | 2.21.58 | 04/13 |
| 4 | Taylor McKEOWN | AUS | 2.22.10 | 04/03 |
| 5 | Shi JINGLIN | CHN | 2.22.90 | 05/13 |
The men’s version of that race went to Erik Persson, whose 2:11.54 easily outpaced the field.
In the men’s 100 back, Bastiaan Lijesen continued to roll through the sprint back races. The 50 back champ went 54.78 to beat Mattias Carlsson by seven tenths. Meanwhile in third place, 18-year-old Laurent Bams went 56.21 to break a Dutch Junior record.
The women’s event was where Nielsen put up her big swim. The Denmark sensation went 59.36, which cut a half-second off her season-best and snuck within a half-second of world leader Emily Seebohm. For now, Nielsen sits second in the world ranks – she was tied for that slot prior to the meet as well, but broke the deadlock to claim sole possession of #2 in Eindhoven.
2014 LCM Women 100 Back TYR World Ranking
SEEBOHM
58.84
| 2 | Mie NIELSEN | DEN | 59.20 | 09/05 |
| 3 | Katinka HOSSZU | HUN | 59.36 | 09/05 |
| 4 | Missy FRANKLIN | USA | 59.38 | 08/09 |
| 5 | Georgia DAVIES | GBR | 59.58 | 07/25 |
In the women’s 50 fly, another world-ranked #2 time went down. The Netherlands’ Inge Dekker blasted a 25.55, winning by over a second. With that time, Dekker vaults into the top 5 in the world for 2014, sitting second and just .02 back of leader Sarah Sjostrom, who was at the meet but didn’t compete in the 50 fly.
2014 LCM Women 50 Fly TYR World Ranking
SJOSTROM
24.43*WR
| 2 | Francesca HALSALL | GBR | 25.20 | 07/25 |
| 3 | Jeanette OTTESEN GRAY | DEN | 25.27 | 06/15 |
| 4 | Inge DEKKER | NED | 25.51 | 07/11 |
| 5 | Arianna VANDERPOOL-WALLACE | BAH | 25.53 | 07/25 |
The men’s 50 free went to Ukranian sprinter Andriy Govorov. His 22.17 topped Brazilian Alan Madeira da Vitoria by two tenths.
The men also swam the 400 free on the fourth and final day of competition. Serbia’s Velimir Stjepanovic took that race, going 3:48.25 and coming from behind over the final 100 to top Ferry Weertman by seven tenths.
Sjostrom won the final event of the meet, blazing to a 52.73 in the 100 free for Sweden. That time for Sjostrom jumps to 2nd in the world ranks, breaking up the Australian Campbell sisters who previously sat at 1 and 2. Cate Campbell still leads the world at 52.68, but Sjostrom is now just .05 back. Bronte Campbell slides back to third at 53.02.
Second in Eindhoven was Femke Heemskerk, who touched out Sweden’s Michelle Coleman 53.64 to 53.66.
2014 LCM Women 100 Free TYR World Ranking
CAMPBELL
52.62
| 2 | Sarah SJOESTROEM | SWE | 52.67 | 08/20 |
| 3 | Bronte CAMPBELL | AUS | 52.86 | 07/28 |
| 4 | Femke HEEMSKERK | NED | 53.19 | 12/13 |
| 5 | Simone MANUEL | USA | 53.25*Relay | 08/23 |
Thanks Bobo, he’s doing OK, although he won’t be climbing any more trees for a while.
Very good day for Nordic swimmers indeed!
Unfortunately I didn’t catch any of it live as my youngest decided to fall out of a tree and break his collarbone, so I have spent most of the day at the hospital. Hopefully the videos will go up on youtube soon.
The slight disappointment for me was Pernille and Jeanette, I was expecting them to be faster. I don’t know if something has gone wrong with their taper.
I hope Ranomi is now really really fired up to get revenge on Sarah in Berlin and we can look forward to some great races.
I’m sure RMP is a bit happier today, she was disappointed with her 100 breast time. I… Read more »
Sorry for your youngest. 🙁
Hopefully everything will be fine quickly for him or her.
You can be proud of your Danish girls.
Thanks to them, you will listen to the Danish national anthem in Berlin very often.
The Danish girls will win w4x100 medley in Berlin, unless there’s a catastrophe.
It was the Nordic day today! 🙂
Congrats to Miss Sjöström, Miss Nielsen and Miss RMP!
This morning I wrote I expected big things from these 3 and they didn’t disappoint.
As always I was a little too optimistic about my time expectations with a 52.50 for Sjöström, a sub 59 for the young Danish and a world record for RMP.
Only 52.73, 59.36 and 2.19.61! Come on girls, not so bad. 🙂
52.73 at the end of the meet and after so many races all week, WOW, it’s very impressive.
The sub 59 will come next summer.
And the world record can fall every time RMP goes in the water.