Arena’s international arm continues to build up an increasingly impressive resume of stars, and the latest signing is German swimmer Franziska Hentke, who holds the National Record in the 200 fly in short course meters (2:03.47).
Hentke, on her Facebook page, announced that Arena will support her through the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The 25-year old’s last swim of 2014 should springboard her into 2015, which she has already called the “beginning of Olympic preparations.” She swam a 2:08.75 in the 200 long course meter fly at a local meet at her home club of Madgeburg, which marks the 7th time she swam better than 2:09 in 2014.
That 7 times is more than anybody else in the world, that we could find, was sub 2:09 (Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu did it 6 times, and Spain’s Mireia Belmonte did it 5).
In 2013, Hentke was the European Championships silver-medalist in the 200 short course meters fly, behind only Mireia Belmonte; she wound up 6th in the 200 fly this summer at the European Championships in 2:08.93 – a slower time than she went in December in Madgeburg.
Her best time of the year came at German Nationals with a 2:07.67 that ranked her 14th in the world in 2014.