Ian Thorpe had the best meet back yet of his comeback at the 2012 Euro Meet, as he continues to move forward step-by-step towards his goal of making the 2012 Australian Olympic Team.
First, in the 200 free, he swam a 1:51.51 for 4th-place overall. That’s about 8-tenths of a second slower than he was at the Victorian Open State Championships two weeks ago, but there’s a kicker. He went out in a 53.51 – which is faster than he went out in Victoria – before dying at the end of the race. Assuming that this wasn’t an intentional strategy, that’s a telltale-sign of a swimmer who was out of shape, and is finally getting back into full-conditioning mode.
In the shorter 100 free, on day 3 of the meet, he tied for 6th (against a deeper field). He touched in 50.76, which is the best time he’s done since his comeback. That bumps him to 13th in the Australian rankings this season. For comparison, he ranks 5th in the 200 free.
Outside of Thorpe, this was one of the fastest Euro Meets on record, with a total of 13 Meet Records being broken in Luxembourg.
The men’s 200 breaststroke was the fastest race on the weekend. Luxembourg’s own Laurent Carnol smashed his own National Record by almost two seconds to win the race in 2:09.78. He now ranks 30th all-time in the event, and is clear-ahead as the fastest time in the world in 2012.
The Ukraine’s Igor Borysik had a very strong swim for 2nd as well in that race, with a 2:11.64. He had a very-down year last season, and at 27-years old it looked like he might be ‘done’ in terms of a relevant career, but with that time that’s better than he was in all of 2011, he’s bounced right back into the mix for a semi-final spot in London.
A pair of freestyles from Loughborough in the UK had good meets as well. Caitlin McClatchey put up a 4:09.77, which is the best 400 swim she’s done since 2007, when she was only 22. That race was won in a blowout, but it would take a much stronger closing kick for her to hold off 17-year old German sensation Silke Lippok.
Lippok held a narrow lead going into the last turn, but McClatchey’s superior endurance allowed her to vault into the lead in the final strokes in 1:58.73 (also her best time in years). Lippok was 2nd in 1:58.86.
After two years spent trying to fashion herself into a sprinter, it seems that McClatchey had turned back to her middle-distance roots, and that it’s paying off for her big time.
Meanwhile, McClatchey’s teammate Amy Smith won the 100 free in 54.78. That’s the best time she’s been outside of the 2010 European Championships, and with how well she’s swimming, she seems to be a near-lock for the 2nd 100 freestyle spot at the Olympics (despite some young, very talented swimmers chasing her).
McClatchey was 2nd in 55.79, and Lippok was 3rd in 55.99.
Besides the aforementioned Carnol, Luxembourg swimmer Raphael Stacchiotti. In addition to a personal best in the 100 free (50.76), he also tacked on a 2:00.22 in the 200 IM, to clear his old best mark by six-tenths. Both of those swims also result in new Luxembourg National Records.
Britain’s Joe Roebuck finished just behind Stacchiotti in the 200 IM in 2:00.87, which is also under the old meet record.
Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov swept the 50 free and 50 fly in marks of 22.48 and 23.82, respectively. That’s an outstanding time for Govorov this time of season relative to past years, but after what we’ve seen in Austin and Australia the past few weeks, everyone has to step their games up significantly if they want to compete in the sprints. Govorov placed only a surprising 4th in the 100 free in 50.46.
