2019 DANISH OPEN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, November 7th – Sunday, November 10th
- Swimming Stadium Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark
- SCM
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Start Lists/Results
Day 1 of the 2019 Danish Open Short Course Championships could be considered a success, as several swimmers on both the men’s and women’s sides notched efforts under the qualifying times for this December’s European Short Course Championships.
World Championships swimmer Emilie Beckmann got it done in the women’s 100m fly, with the 22-year-old getting her hand on the wall in a time of 57.13 for the gold. Splitting 26.83/30.30, Beckmann was able to drop her 57.68 morning swim down by over half a second, with both outings dipping under the 58.25 qualifying time for Glasgow.
Runner-up to Beckmann tonight was Caroline Erichson, with her silver medal-worthy swim of 58.25 matching the QT exactly.
Julie Jensen followed suit in the women’s 50m backstroke, reaping gold in a time of 26.46. Not only did she crush the QT of 27.26 needed for SC Euros, but her time fell just .07 outside of the Danish national record of 26.39 set by Mie Nielsen back in 2014. Nielsen was in tonight’s race as well but hit the wall in 27.27 for 3rd.
Spitting Jensen and Nielsen tonight was Victoria Bierre, who touched in 27.21 to join Jensen in getting under the minimum time standard.
Another pair of female swimmers were happy with their 100m breaststroke swims, as Matilde Schroder and Josefine Pedersen finished 1-2 in SC Euros-worthy results. After touching in 1:06.36 in the morning for 2nd seed behind Pedersens’ 1:06.15, Schroder fired off a big-time 1:05.92. That represents her first-ever effort under the 1:06 threshold in the event.
Pedersen settled for silver in 1:06.35, but still under the 1:06.64 QT for Glasgow.
The men’s squad was led by Tobais Bjerg‘s performance in the men’s 50m breast, with the national record holder clocking a winning effort of 26.57. That was slightly off his 26.54 from the morning, with both results coming close to his own NR of 26.47 registered 2 years ago. He only needed a mark of 26.73 for Glasgow, so Bjerg’s mission in this event is accomplished.
The men’s 100m free saw Mathias Zander Rysgaard crush a new lifetime best of 47.75 in the morning, only to drop that down to a winning mark of 47.73 in the evening to take gold. Today marks the first time Rysgaard has ever been in the 47-second territory in this short course meters format, with his previous PB resting at the 48.20 put up at a domestic meet last month.
Rysgaard’s swim now inserts him into the all-time Danish performers list at slot #3, resting only behind Jakob Andkjaer (47.44) and Frederik Pedersen’s 47.61.
Wrapping up the night was a head-turning performance by 19-year-old Helena Rosendahl Bach in the women’s 400m freestyle. After establishing herself as the top seed of the morning in a new personal best of 4:07.35, the teen rocked a gold medal time of 4:04.60 tonight to route the competition and easily dip under the 4:07.50 time standard needed to qualify for December’s European Short Course Championships.
Bach represented the only swimmer to get under the 4:10 threshold, as the next closest athlete, Turkish national record holder Beril Bocekler, came to the wall in a mark of 4:10.18. That was after the Turk came within a second of her own 4:08.51 national record with a morning swim of 4:09.79 in the heats.
With her swim tonight, Bach now checks-in as the 3rd fastest Danish performer ever in the SCM 400 freestyle, sitting only behind Lotte Friis’ 3:58.02 and Nielsen’s 4:04.38.