After setting a new Italian record in the women’s 100 freestyle on Saturday Federica Pellegrini returned to the pool to break the Settecolli Trophy meet record in the 200 freestyle winning the event in a time of 1:54.55. She beat the record of 1:55.05 that Sarah Sjostrom put up last year. Pellegrini’s time places her second in the world rankings with only American Katie Ledecky ahead of her.
2015-2016 LCM Women 200 Free
LEDECKY
1.53.73
| 2 | sarah SJOSTROM | SWE | 1.54.08 | 08/09 |
| 3 | Federica PELLEGRINI | ITA | 1.54.55 | 06/26 |
| 4 | Emma McKEON | AUS | 1.54.83 | 04/10 |
| 5 | Katinka HOSSZU | HUN | 1.55.41 | 11/06 |
Gabriele Detti took the men’s 800 freestyle in a time of 7:43.06 beating the previous record of 7:49.10 set by Grant Hackett in 2007. Detti was better than his season’s best of 7:43.52, which ranks second in the world behind Gregorio Paltrinieri, and was not far off his lifetime best of 7:42.74, which he posted in 2014.
Paltrinieri finished second, over seven seconds behind Detti, hitting the wall in a time of 7:50.98.
Hungarian Laszlo Cseh took the men’s 50 butterfly in a time of 23.58 while Therese Alshammar of Sweden won the women’s event in a time of 25.94. Junior world record holder Penny Oleksiak of Canada finished second to Alshammar in a time of 26.08 only 11 one-hundredths of a second off of her world record of 25.97.
Italian Flavio Bizzarri had an extremely strong final 50 meters of the men’s 200 breaststroke making up over a second and overtaking Olympic champion Daniel Gyurta of Hungary for the win. Bizzarri touched in a time of 2:11.00 followed by Gyurta who finished with a time of 2:11.12.
Kanako Watanabe won the women’s event in more convincing fashion posting a time of 2:24.20 over two seconds ahead of the field.
Hungarian David Verraszto won the men’s 200 IM finishing in a time of 2:00.09 while Italian Ilaria Cusinato took the women’s event in a time of 2:12.80. Cusinato was followed closely by Maria Ugolkova of Switzerland who hit the wall in a time of 2:12.88 breaking her own Swiss record of 2:13.34, which she posted at the European Championships.
Italian Christopher Ciccarese took the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 1:57.96 while Canadian Kylie Masse won the women’s event in a time of 2:08.79.
Frenchman Jeremy Stravius had a strong second half of the men’s 100 freestyle overtaking Italian Luca Dotto for the victory. Stravius won the event in a time of 48.79 followed by Dotto who touched in a time of 49.18.
What a confidence booster that meet must be for her before Rio.
Race video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmOK_Zz-fmQ
Splits:
27″20 – 56″46 (29″26)- 1’25″75 (29″29)- 1’54″55 (28.8)
At Nationals in Riccione, last April, she forced the first 100 (55″72) and stopped the clock at 1’55″30. Now it seems that her strategy have been correctly adjusted… I hope she can throw down another half second after tapering.
Does anyone understand how those fingernails are legal?
She’s great. She did the 100 free in 53:18 yesterday. She’ll be even faster in Rio.
She’s a contender for the gold in the 200 free. She has mental strenght and experience. She won a medal in the 200 free in every world championships and olympics (except London) since 2004. She also broke both the 200 and 400 free world record in textile suit as well.
Sjostrom never beat Pellegrini in a 200 free important event (even when she was faster during the season) and I don’t know how fast ledecky will be at this event.
It’s really hard to swim against Pellegrini because she has the fastest last 50 and she gives a lot of pressure… Read more »
If Ledecky has focused in on this event, nobody really will has to good a chance. Pellegrini peaked before the Olympics last time around I’m scared that’s what’s happening here.
Not really ….. Pellegrini had terrible times in 2012 at this stage. She taught it was because the heavy training but all her preparation was wrong and she went to the Olympics completely out of shape. It won’t happen this year.
Pellegrini has been the co-favorite for the 200 free on the bookies since the beginning of year, so not a surprise. Sjostrom had faster splits than Pellegrini in every single relay the last two years though(Berlin, Kazan, London), she’s just never swum it individually. When Sjostrom broke the 200 free SCM WR Pellegrini was in that final, plus a few Settecolli wins aswell over Federica during that span. So painting it as Pellegrini has some sort of big mental advantage wouldn’t be fair to say, it would actually be the other way around based on the last few years. Only girl that beat Sjostrom in a 200 race since 2014 was Ledecky this year. And Ledecky obviously beat Pellegrini at… Read more »
Sjostrom still don’t have an Olympic medal. And so far Pellegrini time is faster.
Short course and relay splits are diffenrent races. Sjostrom doesn’t have any medal in the 200 free ( not even in europe). I don’t see her as a favorite specially because she does not like to swim that event.
Whoa
You might want to mention that this is the first time Fede goes sub 1:55 in textile