Thomas Jansen Matches Marcel Wouda’s 400 IM Record At Dutch SC Championships

2023 DUTCH SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, December 15th – Sunday, December 17th
• The Hague, Netherlands
• SCM (25m)
• Results

The 2023 Dutch Short Course Championships took place over the weekend with one national record being tied on the men’s side.

Racing in the 400m IM, 22-year-old Thomas Jansen produced a gold medal-worthy result of 4:05.41. That not only established a new lifetime best but it matched the same time that Marcel Wouda put on the books over 25 years ago in 1997.

Splits for Jansen’s effort included:

57.67
1:01.69
1:09.84
56.21

Entering this competition, Jansen’s career-quickest rested at the 4:07.88 he turned in last year, so his effort this weekend hacked off over 2 seconds.

Jansen finished 6th in the men’s 4IM at this year’s European Short Course Championships in a time of 4:08.32. Had he produced this 4:05.41 there, he would have been rendered the 4th-place finisher.

19-year-old Koen de Groot also put up some impressive performances on the men’s side, reaping gold in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke events.

In the former, the teen clocked a result of 26.18, surpassing his previous personal best of 26.22 logged in the semi-finals at this year’s European Short Course Championships. There in Romania, de Groot ultimately placed 4th in a final time of 26.22.

As for the 100m breast, de Groot stopped the clock in a time of 57.29 to put up just his 2nd-ever outing under the 58-second barrier. The first came in the heats where he notched 57.85.

Opening in 26.85 and closing in 30.44, de Groot’s final effort surpassed his previous PB of 58.00 entering these championships. That mark was turned in during the heats in Romania. He was shut out of the final because Dutch teammates Arno Kamminga and Caspar Corbeau were faster.

Additional top swims here on the men’s side included Thomas Verhoeven hitting 22.75 to win the men’s 50m fly while Bart Sommeling scored 1:44.60 as the 200m freestyle gold medalist.

Valerie van Roon registered a time of 23.87 to top the women’s 50m free podium, beating the 23.91 she logged in Romania to finish 4th in the final. She also took the 100m free title at these championships, posting 53.14 for her quickest outing in 3 years.

The women’s 200m back saw Lotte Hosper get it done for gold in 2:04.50 while Tessa Giele found herself atop the podium in four separate events.

21-year-old Giele was the quickest 50m butterflier in 25.60, the fastest 50m backstroker in 26.61 and the best 100m IMer in 59.58. She also nabbed the 100m fly gold in 57.25 to complete her impressive campaign.

Giele is coming off a successful European Short Course Championships where she tied Greece’s Anna Ntountounaki for gold in the 50m fly, with both registering a mark of 25.10. She was also a member of the Netherlands’ bronze medal-earning mixed medley relay.