Sjöström, van der Burgh Pick Up Wins On Final Day In Stockholm

2016 STOCKHOLM OPEN

• Wednesday March 30th – Saturday April 2nd
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Prelims – 9:30 am local (3:30 am EST/12:30 am PST)   Finals – 4:30 pm local (Friday – 4 pm) (10:30 am EST/7:30 PST)
• Results

Swedish superstar Sarah Sjöström wrapped up the final day of the Stockholm Open with a bang, claiming the women’s 100m free in a blistering 52.78. That time is just 0.11 seconds off her personal best time and national record of 52.67 set at the 2014 European Championships. That win gives Sjostrom five titles at this meet, already claiming the 50 and 200 freestyle and the 50 and 100 butterfly. That swim launched her past Australians Cate Campbell and Bronte Campbell into 1st place in the world rankings. She was previously sitting 3rd with her time of 53.12 from the Arena Pro Swim in Austin earlier this year.

Second place went to Belarus’ Aliaksandra Herasimenia in 53.81, and Sweden’s Ida Marko-Varga was 3rd in 55.14. This summer Herasimenia will look to defend the pair of silver medals she won at the 2012 Olympics in the 50 and 100 free.

In the men’s 200 IM Swedish record holder Simon Sjödin was the only man to crack two minutes, winning in 1:59.53. Sjödin  was a second and a half off his national record of 1:58.02. He was a finalist in this event at the 2015 World Championships, finishing 8th. His countryman Erik Persson was 2nd in 2:00.96, and Luxembourg’s Raphael Stacchiotti was 3rd in 2:02.65.

Norway’s Henrik Christiansen dominated the men’s 800 free, as he was the only man under eight minutes in a swift 7:48.26. That swim was less than three seconds off his own national record set last summer in Kazan of 7:45.66. Filip Zabrowski of Poland was 2nd in 8:02.75, and Victor Johansson of Sweden was 3rd in 8:05.29.

Defending Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania picked up a win in the women’s 100 breast, clocking 1:06.57. Turkish phenom Viktoria Zeynep Gunes was 2nd in 1:07.73, and Sophie Hansson was the top finisher from Sweden clocking 1:07.85 for 3rd.

In the men’s 50 free we saw a tie, with Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen and Russia’s Evgeny Sedov touching simultaneously for the win in 22.37. Russia’s Andrey Grechin was only 0.01 behind them, going 22.38 for 3rd. Also of note in the final was Marco Orsi of Italy who was 5th in 22.73, and Sergei Fesikov of Russia who was 6th in 22.76. The top Swedish man was Isaac Eliasson, 9th in 22.96.

The women’s 800 free was a much tighter race than the men’s, as Italians Chiara Masini Luccetti and Margherita Panziera raced down to the wire. Luccetti picked up the win in 8:46.33, just ahead of Panziera who finished 2nd in 8:46.93. The Polish duo of Milena Karpisz (8:48.35) and Paulina Piechota (8:50.55) were 3rd and 4th. Sweden’s top finisher was Christine Ekman, 5th in 9:05.44.

South African Cameron van der Burgh picked up his second win of the meet in the men’s 50 breast, clocking 27.08 for the win. He won the 100 earlier in 59.61. van der Burgh was less than half a second off his own national record of 26.62 set in Kazan. Lithuania’s Giedrius Titenis touched 2nd in 27.77, and Edgar Crespo of Panama was 3rd in 27.83. Crespo’s time eclipsed his own national record of 27.89 set at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. Also in the final was 200m winner Marco Koch of Germany, who was 5th in 28.06.

Russia’s Svetlana Chimrova closed out the meet winning the women’s 200 fly in 2:10.79. Second place went to Ida Marko-Varga of Sweden in 2:12.66, and Susanna Negri of Italy was 3rd in 2:13.50.