Pellegrini Records Her Fastest Time Since World Record Swim

Italian Federica Pellegrini started off the first night of the French Open in Vichy in style winning the women’s 200 freestyle in a time of 1:55.00. Pellegrini’s time ranks her third in the world behind Femke Heemskerk and Sarah Sjostrom.

Pellegrini’s season’s best is a 1:56.51, which she recorded at the Italian National Championships in April. This is a significant swim for the Italian world record holder as it is the fastest time she has swam since setting that record in 2009. Her next fastest performance was in Barcelona when she finished second to Missy Franklin at the 2013 World Championships.

Pellegrini did win the event at the European Championships in Berlin albeit in a time of 1:56.01.

Hungarian Katinka Hosszu started off her more than busy weekend collecting the silver in the event hitting the wall in a time of 1:56.11, not far off her season’s best of 1:55.89. Charlotte Bonnet of France finished third in a time of 1:57.64 followed by her French teammate Coralie Balmy who posted a 1:58.87.

The men’s 50 butterfly was a terrific race between Andrey Govorov of the Ukraine, Brazilian Cesar Cielo and Florent Manaudou of France. Govorov, who is tied with Florent Manaudou for fifth in the world rankings, took the race in a time of 23.37, tying his season’s best. He was followed closely by Cielo who hit the wall in a time of 23.44, only one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Manaudou who touched in a time of 23.45.

Francois Heersbrandt of Belgium finished fourth in a time of 23.80 followed by Frederick Bousquet of France who recorded a time of 23.86.

South African Cameron van der Burgh continues to prepare himself for the difficult task of trying to snatch the world record back from Adam Peaty of Great Britain. Van der Burgh’s season’s best is a 27.01, which ranks second in the world next to Peaty.

In Vichy van der Burgh took the event in a time of 27.09. Slovenian Damir Dugonjic, who ranks fifth in the world, grabbed the silver in a time of 27.44 followed by George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago who posted a 27.57.

Italian Fabio Scozzoli finished in a time of 27.60 followed by South African Giulio Zorzi (27.65) and Giacomo Perez Dortona of France (27.72).

Fran Halsall of Great Britain won the women’s 50 freestyle in a time of 24.65. In 2014 Halsall won the gold in the 50 freestyle at both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships along with finishing the year with the world’s top time of 23.96. She will be looking to repeat the success she had last summer in Kazan.

Anna Santamans of France finished second in a time of 25.01. Anna Dowgiert and Aleksandra Urbanczyk of Poland battled for the bronze. Dowgiert got her hand on the wall one one-hundredth of a second ahead of her teammate. Dowgiert took the event in a time of 25.51 followed by Urbancyzk who touched in a time of 25.52.

Hungarian Katinka Hosszu dominated the women’s 200 IM taking the event in a time of 2:10.22 over three and a half seconds ahead of Viktoria Zeynep Gunes. Gunes collected the silver hitting the wall in a time of 2:13.93 followed by Fantine Lesaffre who finished in a time of 2:15.66.

Hosszu won her second event of the evening taking the 200 backstroke in a time of 2:09.54. Margherita Panziera finished second in a time of 2:11.94 followed by Daryna Zevina of the Ukraine who posted a 2:12.20.

German Marco Koch crushed the field in the men’s 200 breaststroke. Koch won the event in a time of 2:08.98 almost five seconds ahead of Lennard Bremer of Australia who finished in a time of 2:13.93. Koch will be looking to follow up his European Championship win with a a gold in Kazan. In 2013 the German finished second to Hungarian Daniel Gyurta.

Maik Ludtke of Germany finished third in a time of 2:15.79.

Viktoria Zeynep Gunes of Turkey took the women’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:08.50 just missing her lifetime best of 1:08.30 which she posted at Sette Colli in June. Gunes was able to get her hand on the wall just ahead of American Laura Sogar who posted a season’s best 1:08.56.

Italian Giulia De Ascentis earned the bronze in a time of 1:09.13.

The men’s 400 freestyle was definitely not the fastest race of the evening, but it was one of the closest. Filip Zaborowski of Poland took the event in a time of 3:51.72. He was followed by Frenchman Jordan Pothain who finished in a time of 3:51.95 and Andrea-Mitchell D’Arrigo who touched in a time of 3:51.96.

Italian Federico Turrini won the men’s 400 IM in a time of 4:19.43 followed by Roberto Pavoni of Great Britain who hit the wall in a time of 4:22.29. Yannick Chatelain of France won the bronze in a time of 4:25.99.

Rachael Kelly of Great Britain took the women’s 100 butterfly in a time of 58.67. She was followed by Marie Wattel of France who recorded a 58.87 and Kimberly Buys of Belgium who finished in a time of 59.40.

Jan Switkowski of Poland won the men’s 200 butterfly in a time of 1:56.55, more than a second away from his season’s best of 1:55.23. Switkowski and German Markus Gierke were the only two men under the two minute mark. Gierke took the silver in a time of 1:57.61.

Jonatan Batcha of Israel finished third in a time of 2:01.22.

Georgia Davies of Great Britain out swam her teammate Halsall to reach the wall first in a time of 27.95. Davies, who won the Commonwealth Games last summer, was just off her season’s best of 27.87 which ranks sixth in the world. Halsall finished second in a time of 28.20 followed by Alicja Tchorz of Poland who posted a 28.66.

After posting a 48.77 in the prelims Florent Manaudou decided not to participate in the final. That left the door open for fellow Frenchman Mehdy Metella to win the event in a time of 49.01. Pawel Korzeniowski finished second in a time of 49.21 followed closely by Shinri Shiouria who earned the bronze in a time of 49.25.

Two Slovenian women went one two in the women’s 800 freestyle. Tjasa Oder took the event in a time of 8:42.47 followed by Gaja Natlacen who posted a 8:44.87. Ophelle-Cyrielle Etienne collected the bronze in a time of 8:45.54.

Full results can be found here.