26-Year-Old Van Den Hoogenband Dutch Age Record Goes Down

2018 Dutch Short Course Open Championships

• Friday, December 21st – Sunday, December 23rd
• Tilburg
• SCM
• Live Results

Meet Highlights

The 2018 Dutch Short Course Open Championships kicked off this weekend minus National Record holders along the lines of Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Femke Heemskerk. Kromo finished off her year with the Lausanne Cup earlier this week after the Short Course World Championships, while Heemskerk said good-bye to 2018 competition after Hangzhou.

That left the emerging talent of Netherlands with opportunities to get on the podium in Tilburg.

Ties Elzerman took full advantage of fewer competitors in the men’s events. Elzerman was the winner of the men’s 50m breaststroke sprint on night 1, establishing a new Meet Record in the process. Clocking 26.64, he won the race in the only time under the 27-second mark, crushing the previous meet standard of 27.37.

Ezlerman most recently competed in Hangzhou, where he finished 15th in the 50m breaststroke in 26.40, so tonight’s effort was just .24 of that effort.

Luc Kroon fired off a Dutch National Youth Record en route to the top of the podium in the men’s 200m freestyle on day 1 as well. Kroon touched in 1:44.49 to represent the only swimmer under the 1:45 mark in the A-final.

In the morning, youngster Tim Korstanje, brother of NC State swimmer Nyls Korstanje, registered a new Dutch National Youth Record in the 100m IM in 58.01, finishing in 18th place in the event.

In Paraswimming, Bas Takken smashed a new World Record in the men’s S10 1500m freestyle in 16:06.58, while Liesette Bruinsma set a women’s S11 400m freestyle World Record in 5:02.60. Bruinsma also earned a World Record in the 50m freestyle in 30.14.

Another World Record fell, courtesy of Lisa Kruger, who notched an S10 200m backstroke mark of 2:26.21. Thomas van Wanrooij hit a new European Record in the men’s S13 100m back in 1:03.35.

Multiple records fell in the men’s 400m freestyle race on night 2, led by Arjan Knipping. He took the title in 4:07.09, but busted a Championships Record in the process.  Runner-up Jari Groenhart also did some damage to the record books, clocking a new Dutch Age Record for 18-year-olds in a mark of 4:14.17.

In the morning session on day 2, Merlin Belmon hit a new Dutch National Youth Record in the men’s 800m freestyle heats. His time of 8:36.02 broke a 25-year-old mark held by the legendary Pieter van den Hoogenband.

Para swimmer-wise, Bruinsma was back at it, clocking a new World Record in the para 200m IM and 100m free. Kruger also notched World Record, touching in 1:07.54 in the 100m back.