Team Germany was on fire on day 3 of the 2012 Nationals and Olympic Trials in Berlin Saturday, as they took down three senior National Records and named 9 new athletes to their Olympic Team.
Men’s 200 Back
The first National Record of the meet was probably the biggest shock of the three. The 23-year old Jan-Philip Glania was going to have to push and swim a best time to even make the Olympic Team in this 200 back, but he did much, much more than that. He dropped more than 2.5 seconds from his lifetime best to touch in 1:55.87 for the win and to make his first Olympic Team. He also moves to 2nd in the world in 2012, sitting behind only defending Worlds silver-medalist Ryosuke Irie of Japan.
That broke the old National Record of Helge Meeuw (1:56.34) by half-a-second. That record stood from 2006, when Meeuw was an entirely different swimmer, and the former standard-bearer didn’t swim this race to focus on the 100.
This race has become a big strength for the Germans. The favorite in the race Yannick Lebherz didn’t win, but he did swim a 1:56.84 to add this race to his 400 IM. He joins Paul Biedermann as only the second swimmer to earn double individual swims for London so far. He chose this race instead of the 200 IM later in the session (not chasing the double); he might have made the team in either event though.
Felix Wolf was 3rd in 1:58.11, which also cleared the German qualifying mark, but he’ll stand on the outside looking in. He is a training partner of Lebherz. Christian Deiner was 4th in 1:59.47.
Women’s 200 Back
Shortly after Glania breaking the men’s record, Jenny Mensing took down her own 200 backstroke mark in the final to take an Olympic spot of her own. But that wasn’t her first record of the day – she actually broke the record first in prelims with a 2:08.56, before a 2:08.30 in finals. That moves her to 8th in the world in 2012.
Mensing is a veteran compared to most of the world’s 200 backstrokers that we’re seeing at 26-years old. She has the first 150 meters to hang with just about anybody in the world aside from Missy Franklin and Belinda Hocking, so a medal is not out-of-reach for her. She’ll have to close way better than the 23.3 she had in these trials.
Men’s 200 IM
The third record on the day went to Markus Deibler, the younger of the Deibler brothers, in the men’s 200 IM. He swam a 1:57.82 to close the session, which knocked eight-tenths off of his old record set at this same meet in 2011. As was a theme in Germany last year, though, he imploded at Worlds and added over two seconds when he got to Shanghai – let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.
The encouraging sign is that there seems to have been a true (not just a taper) improvement in his swimming. He broke two minutes already this season at the British Olympic Trials, for example. His conditioning seems to be very good – this improvement is due to going out a whole lot harder in the first 100 meters, and holding on to a nearly-identical time on the back-half. If he makes a similar improvement in the 100 free, the Germans could get very excited about their 400 free relay as well.
But perhaps even the more exciting swim was from runner-up Philip Heintz. He’s completely reinvented himself as a swimmer; up until the last month, he was a promising sprint freestyler and butterflier. Since March, however, he’s knocked an incredible 7 seconds off of his best time in this 200 IM, swimming a 1:58.82, and now putting himself on the Olympic Team as well. That’s the first big surprise of this meet, as he has now gone from off-the-radar to the second-fastest in history in the race.
He’s at a full taper for this meet, so don’t expect him to make much of a challenge for a finals spot in London, but he could become a star training toward the 2013 World Championships.
Jan David Scheppers took 3rd in 1:59.37. A new 17 & under National Record went to Phillip Forster in 4th thanks to a 2:02.11.
Men’s 100 Fly
Earlier in the session from the 200 IM, Marcus’ older brother Steffen Deibler took some pressure off by locking up his Olympic spot in the 100 fly with a 52.00. That’s not a National Record, but it is a best time for him by .03. He’s long been a very good 50 butterflier, but this is the year where he’ll have to prove his point in the 100. He’s now 6th in the world this year.
Not far behind him was Benjamin Starke in 52.09 – that just sneaks him under the 52.18 qualifying standard and also into the world’s top 10.
This race should have been the first hint at what Heintz was about to do in the 200 IM. He took 3rd in 52.22 – also a best time, though not by as huge of an amount.
Women’s 100 Fly
Alexandra Wenk, as we alluded to after she barely missed a spot on the 800 free relay on Friday, was lining up for this 100 fly. She torched her lifetime best in the race by a full second, and though it wasn’t a senior National Record, she did break the German 16 & under record with a 58.59 win in the race. That’s still not enough to meet the German Olympic qualifying standard of 58.20, despite moving to second on the all-time German list.
Sina Sutter also swam a lifetime best to take 2nd in 58.70 – the fourth-fastest German ever. That gives the Germans a second swimmer who hit the FINA Automatic qualifying time – Sutter hit it dead-on – but without either swimming individually.
Wenk will have one more shot at qualifying in the 100 back, but she’ll have to improve her lifetime best by a second-and-a-half to do so. Not unheard-of based on how she’s been swimming, but difficult anyway.
Women’s 100 Free
Last year was juts a warmup. German fans will be relieved to see that World Record holder Britta Steffen is back among the best sprinters in the world. After leading off the Neukolln 400 free relay with a 53,65 on Thrusday, she matched it with a 53.68, giving her now two of the ten fastest swims in the world in 2012.
Daniela Schreiber took 2nd in 54.41, which just sneaks her under the standard for the Olympic Team as well.
Filling out the relay will be Silke Lippok who, with a 55.01, will again be left just a hair short for an individual swim (like in Friday’s 200 free) and Lisa Vitting in 55.09.
Men’s 400 Free
It’s not often that Paul Biedermann comes near the bottom of the billing at a German meet, but that’s how good this meet was. He still had a phenomenal swim, knowing that he’s not shaved or tapered for the meet, though with a 3:47.98. That’s a good, though not great, number for him to be at right now.
The qualifying time was actually 3:47.26, and though Biedermann didn’t hit that he was prequalified based on his times from the World Championships last year.
Martin Grozki, the double NCAA Champion in the 500 and 1650 frees last year, was the tough-luck runner-up. The Georgia Bulldog swam a 3:48.54, which is easily a best time by almost four seconds. Though that hits the FINA Automatic Qualifying Time, and would therefore put him on the Olympic Team from that perspective, it doesn’t hit the German mark.
200 free runner-up Clemens Rapp was 3rd in 3:49.53.
Men’s 50 Free
Marco di Carli won the men’s 50 free in 22.44, ahead of Steffen Deibler’s 22.57 at the end of a tough session. That’s not a good time for di Carli, and even though the 100 is his best hope, he’s going to have to be a lot better than this to make an individual swim. Deibler should have also been better, but he swam the 100 fly earlier in the day, and so was a bit tired.
Other Winners
- Sarah Kohler won the women’s 400 free in 4:14.56. That’s an outstanding time for her, a best by five seconds, but not enough to put the 17-year old on the Olympic Team.
BK,
Britta Steffen does not own two of the three fastest swims in the world in 2012 with her two latest swims.
In fact, she is not even in this year’s top three, who currently are:
52.75 Kromowidjojo, Ranomi
53.29 Sjostrom, Sarah
53.57 Halsall, Francesca
Sorry, that should read two of the ten fastest
Agreed. Grodzki’s been training like a maniac, hits a best time and is still not allowed to go? Is there any way athletes who miss the internal standard get to represent their country?
Baltimoron – not usually. Germany has left the window open for swimmers to qualify at the European Championships, but he’s still got a long drop to go to make the team. He’ll have to hope for the best in the 1500.
my point is when you keep chasing these times, you won’t be at your best at the Olympics! keep resting and shaving for another meet in a longer event will probably take away your performance down the road in a month or so.
Joeb, I agree with you.
This last ditch effort to improve standards just few months before the olympics is not very productive at all.
If they really want to improve their standards of swimming across the board, they need to be more tough on qualifying standards for their annual national competitions etc.
Grodzki was 3:48 (not 58) and that is a great improvement for him. Does anyone else think it is ‘unfair’ for the Federation to put a harder standard on each event than the FINA A cut? They made the cut, they are in the top 2 of your country, TAKE THEM. Not sure of the reasoning why they do this?