Steenbergen Rips 1:55.58 200 Free Personal Best At Dutch Championships

2023 DUTCH LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2023 Dutch Long Course Championships rolled into day two from Amersfoort with versatile Marrit Steenbergen putting up another head-turning performance,

After knocking 2 seconds from her personal best en route to silver in the 100m back last night, Steenbergen fired off the quickest 200m free result of her career.

Steenbergen got to the wall in a mark of 1:55.58, venturing under the 1:56 barrier for the first time ever. The 23-year-old opened in 56.88 and closed in 58.70 to beat the field by nearly 3 seconds.

Entering this meet, Steenbergen’s personal best rested at the 1:56.10 she notched just last month on the Mare Nostrum Tour. That rendered the European champion the 2nd swiftest Dutch 200m freestyler in history.

With tonight’s outing, Steenbergen is creeping up on retired Olympian Femke Heemskerk‘s national record of 1:54.68 she put on the books in 2015.

In the meantime, Steenbergen inches up the season’s world rankings from slot #10 to now be positioned as the 8th fastest.

2022-2023 LCM Women 200 Free

MollieAUS
O'Callaghan
07/26
1:52.85 WR
2Ariarne
Titmus
AUS1:53.0107/26
3Summer
McIntosh
CAN1:53.65 WJR07/26
4Siobhan
Haughey
HKG1:53.9607/26
5Katie
Ledecky
USA1:54.9603/02
6Claire
Weinstein
USA1:55.2606/28
7Shayna
Jack
AUS1:55.3704/20
8Erika
Fairweather
NZL1:55.4404/02
9Bella
Sims
USA1:55.4507/25
10Marrit
Steenbergen
NED1:55.5107/26
View Top 26»

Of note, Janna van Kooten earned silver behind Steenbergen tonight, registering a new Dutch Junior Record of 1:58.54. That overtook van Kooten’s previous PB of 1:58.65 the 18-year-old notched last month and also qualifies the teen for this summer’s World Championships.

Additional Winners

  • National record holder Tes Schouten secured the 100m breast title in a time of 1:06.45, beating the field by 3 seconds. She’s already been as speedy as 1:05.71, the national record she produced at April’s Eindhoven Qualification Meet.
  • Thomas Verhoeven clocked a time of 23.22 to take the men’s 50m fly this evening, getting to the wall ahead of national record holder Nyls Korstanje. Korstanje settled for silver in 23.40 while Thom de Boer bagged bronze in 23.53. Kortanje’s national record of 22.88 in this event was set in the semi-finals at last year’s European Championships.
  • Maaike de Waard doubled up on her 100m back and 50m fly victories from last night with a gold in the 50m back. She clocked a result of 28.09 to get the job done.
  • Two-time Olympic silver medalist Arno Kamminga also doubled up on gold, earning the top prize in the men’s 200m breast in a result of 2:10.13, a new championship record. Kamminga already ranks 9th in the world this season with the 2:09.34 from the AP Race International Meet earlier this month.

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gitech
9 months ago

Today, she swam pb in 100 free 52.98
First time under 53!!!
She Will get a medal in 100 or 200 free this summer.

Last edited 9 months ago by gitech
gitech
Reply to  gitech
9 months ago

Most probably in 100 free!
My prediction for worlds
100 free: 1. Haughey 2. O callaghan 3. Steenbergen 4. Jack 5.sjostrom 6.huske
200 free: 1. Titmus or mcintosh 2. Haughey 3. O callaghan 4. chinese (yang yunxuan or Li binjie) 5. Steenbergen 6. fairweather

Last edited 9 months ago by gitech
Jimmyswim
Reply to  gitech
9 months ago

She’s doing amazing but I don’t think she’s guaranteed a medal. 52.98 is very unlikely to medal in the 100 but she could always drop more time.

Springfield's #1 Athlete
9 months ago

52 incoming, considering her lack of domestic competition, I think she is saving a bit extra for Worlds.

snailSpace
Reply to  Springfield's #1 Athlete
9 months ago

Right you were.

Swimmerfromjapananduk
9 months ago

She’s really picking it up. Can’t wait for the summer

Chlorinetherapy
9 months ago

And she looked like she was cruising the first 100!

commonwombat
9 months ago

One can never predict just how fast an event will actually be when the major championship actually comes around but with the sheer volume of 1.55s (and better) already on the board …… before AUS or US Trials; breaking 1.56 may not be enough to guarantee a lane in this final.

Ceccon - Kamminga - Milak - Popovici
Reply to  commonwombat
9 months ago

1:55 used to win world championships gold (Ledecky in 2015), now 1:54 may not even get a medal.

commonwombat

Sub 1.55 most certainly will NOT guarantee a medal. 1.54 very low (ie. below 1.54.2) probably still will be thereabouts as there is no guarantee McIntosh will swim this one and, as yet, we really don’t know where both Titmus & MOC “are at” …. then there are the Americans.

TCC
Reply to  commonwombat
9 months ago

No Americans are going under 1:54.2

commonwombat
Reply to  TCC
9 months ago

Unless we see something special at US Trials, I’m tending to agree but not out of the question that at least one will be sub 1.55.

Sub13
9 months ago

Ooh Steenbergen looking dangerous this year.

Also I never realised Heemskerk had such a good 200.

jeff
9 months ago

wow! what was her PB before

nvm i cant read apparently 1:56.1

Last edited 9 months ago by jeff

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Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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