World, championship records fall in Rome
By DPA, IANSWednesday, July 29, 2009
ROME - Mary Descenza Wednesday broke the world record in the heats of the women’s 200m butterfly at the world championships, while Aleksandra Gerasimenya set a new championship record in the women’s 50m backstroke.
Under the blistering sun in Rome, that took temperatures into the high thirties, the 24-year-old American Descenza touched in a time of two minutes 4.14 seconds, to beat the old best mark set by Liu Zige of China last year at the Olympics. Liu’s time was 2:04.18.
Descenza, who last year failed to make the American Olympic team, topped the rankings going into Wednesday evening’s semi-finals from Australian Jessicah Schipper, who swam 2:05.50.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, winner Monday of the bronze medal in the women’s 200m individual medley, was third in 2:06.21.
Liu qualified for the semi-finals with the 12th-fastest time in 2:07.55.
Gerasimenya broke the championship record in the women’s 50m backstroke in a time of 27.65. Germany’s world record holder Daniela Samulski was five hundredths slower, as was Russian Anastasia Zueva, who Tuesday won silver in the 100m backstroke.
In the men’s 200m individual medley, which is considered wide open after American superstar Michael Phelps decided not to swim in the event, Hungarian Laszlo Cseh topped the rankings with a time of 1:56.34, followed by American Eric Shanteau, who swam a 1:57.65.
Australian Leith Brodie and Brazilian Thiago Pereira both finished with a 1:57.66, while American Ryan Lochte had the next-fastest time going into the semi-finals with a 1:57.94.
In the men’s 100m freestyle, David Walters led the field into the semi-finals with a time of 47.59 seconds, followed by Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand, who was 0.07 seconds off the pace.
South African Lyndon Ferns and France’s Alain Bernard, who is considered one of the favourites in this event, were third and fourth respectively.
Cesar Cielo Filho, who set a championship record of 47.09 as opening swimmer of the Brazilian 4×100m freestyle relay Sunday, qualified for the semi-finals with the eighth-fastest time.
