Hosszu Records Another Number One Time in Marseille

2016 FFN GOLDEN TOUR CAMILLE MUFFAT – MARSEILLE

• Dates: Friday, March 4 – Sunday, March 6, 2016
• Prelims 9 am GMT+1 (3 am EST/12 am PST); finals 5 pm on Friday and Saturday (11 am EST/8 am PST), 3:30 pm on Sunday (9:30 am EST/6:30 am PST)
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On the first day of the Golden Tour in Marseille Hungarian Katinka Hosszu had a spectacular performance setting a new European record in the 400 IM. She returned to the pool today to post the world’s top time in the women’s 200 IM winning the event in a time of 2:07.69 beating her own season’s best of 2:08.20, which sat atop the world rankings.

It was just last summer in Kazan that Hosszu set a new world record of 2:06.12, considering in 2015 at this same competition she put up a 2:12.59 she is setting herself for another record breaking summer in Rio.

She dominated the field winning the event by almost six seconds. German Alexandra Wenk finished second in a time of 2:13.62 while Spaniard Mireia Belmonte picked up the bronze in a time of 2:13.96.

Hosszu also won gold in the women’s 200 backstroke finishing in a time of 2:07.36. She was just off her season’s best of 2:07.13. Russian Anastasiia Fesikova finished second in a time of 2:09.83 followed by Elizabeth Simmonds of Great Britain who touched in a time of 2:10.08.

Coralie Balmy of France took the women’s 400 freestyle in a time of 4:04.39 beating her season’s best of 4:04.45. Balmy’s time ranks third in the world, which is the spot that she held with her previous best. Belmonte won her second medal collecting the silver in a time of 4:07.01 followed by Italian Martina de Memme who hit the wall in a time of 4:10.60.

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden had another strong performance in the women’s 100 freestyle winning the event in a time of 53.80. Sjostrom has a season’s best of 53.12, which she posted at the Austin Grand Prix in January. Fran Halsall of Great Britain finished second in a time of 54.40 followed by Charolette Bonnet of France who hit the wall in a time of 54.54.

Sjostrom collected her second gold in the women’s 100 butterfly posting a time of 57.01 finishing a second ahead of Rachael Kelly of Great Britain. Kelly touched in a time of 58.11 followed closely by Canadian Katerine Savard who finished in a time of 58.15.

The men’s 200 freestyle was an incredible battle between Frenchman Jeremy Stravius and world champion James Guy of Great Britain. The most the two were separated by was 56 one-hundredths of a second. Stravius eventually got the best of Guy finishing just two one-hundredths of a second ahead of the Brit posting a time of 1:47.65. Guy hit the wall in a time of 1:47.67.

• Stravius – 24.68/52.17 (27.49)/1:20.61 (28.44)/1:47.65 (27.04)
• Guy – 24.96/52.13 (27.17)/1:20.06 (27.93)/1:47.67 (27.61)

German Paul Biedermann finished third in a time of 1:48.05.

German Marco Koch, who owns the world top time of 2:07.65 in the men’s 200 breaststroke, won the event in Marseille in a time of 2:08.85. Koch finished almost four seconds ahead of fellow German Christian Vom Lehn who hit the in a time of 2:12.52. Erik Persson of Sweden and Luca Pizzini of Italy tied for third both putting up a time of 2:12.56.

Frenchman Florent Manaudou took the men’s 50 freestyle in a time of 21.67 missing his season’s best of 21.57 by a tenth of a second. Fellow countryman Clement Mignon finished second in a time of 22.24 followed by Italian Marco Orsi who touched in a time of 22.40.

Other winners included:

• Women’s 100 breaststroke – Viktoria Zeynep Gunes (Turkey) – 1:07.51
• Men’s 100 backstroke – Jan-Philip Glania (Germany) – 54.32
• Men’s 200 butterfly – Carlos Peralta (Spain) – 1:58.00