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Kamminga Joins Exclusive Club With 2:06.85 200 Breaststroke

ROTTERDAM QUALIFICATION MEET (NED)

Ladies and gentlemen, we have another sub-2:07 200m breaststroke in our midst, as 25-year-old Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands just fired off a massive time of 2:06.85.

While competing in the 2breast final of the 2020 Rotterdam Qualification Meet, the European Short Course Champion busted out a huge new personal best, joining an exclusive club of 2:06ers that only includes current World Record holder Anton Chupkov (2:06.12), Australia’s Matt Wilson (2:06.67) and Japan’s Ippei Watanabe (2:06.67).

Entering this meet, Kamminga’s lifetime best and Dutch national record stood at the 2:07.18 he put up earlier this year at the Antwerp Diamond Race. Already this morning in the heats here in Rotterdam, Kamminga sliced .01 off of that mark to post the top time of the field in 2:07.17.

Taking things to an entirely new gear, however, Kamminga crushed his 2:06.85 en route to defeating the rest of the field by over 2 seconds en route to gold. Splits for his two record-breaking swims from today are as follows:

This morning’s 2:07.17 – 1:01.17/1:06.00

Tonight’s 2:06.85 – 1:00.84/1:06.01

As such, Kamminga is now the world’s 4th fastest perform all-time in this LCM 200m breast event and further solidifies his case to achieve possible Olympic podium status next year in Tokyo.

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Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Prenot hasn’t swum fast in forever.

STRAIGHTBLACKLINE
3 years ago

There is so much depth in this event that whoever wins it will have to do three really hard swims. It wouldn’t surprise me if it takes a low 2.08 to make the top 16 and a low 2.07 to get through to the final. A world record looks likely and it could very well come in the semis rather than the final. You often see this in breastroke events.

Waterbear
3 years ago

Think Cordes owns that title for the American breaststrokers.

BreastrokeBestroke
Reply to  Waterbear
3 years ago

After ISL idk man Cordes looked rough

HuntleyJones
Reply to  BreastrokeBestroke
3 years ago

I think it’s safe to say Cordes is done. He’s regressed sharply since 2017, and hasn’t broken 1:00/2:10 since 2018.

Bub
3 years ago

Prenot/Licon 2021!

Anonymoose
Reply to  Bub
3 years ago

for semis

Bub
3 years ago

His splitting definitely shocked me. I always thought he was a big back half guy.

Mr Pianio
3 years ago

You know the Japanese will be on their best in Tokyo on home soil. This will be an amazing race to watch.

Coach MM
3 years ago

Texas dual citizen Casper Corbeau was in the race and went 2:08-prelims! Does that qualify him to the Olympics for Netherlands?

Dutchy
Reply to  Coach MM
3 years ago

Coach MM – unfortunately Casper’s time from prelims missed the Dutch qualification standard by just 0.05s, and he was slightly slower in the finals.
At least this does qualify him for the European Championships, so he’ll get another shot at the second Olympic spot. There isn’t any other Dutch swimmer who could realistically get close to qualifying in the 200 breast.

Ghost
Reply to  Dutchy
3 years ago

He was more than slightly slower in finals. But still his second best swim ever!
The FINA A cut is 2:10.3 and the Dutch is even tougher at 2:08.52. Not sure if the Dutch hierarchy will change their mind after their second Trials meet.

austinpoolboy
Reply to  Dutchy
3 years ago

His prelims time of 2:08 is legit, too bad that doesn’t qualify him, cuz by any other measure that is smoking
Looks like he went 2:09+ in finals

Race video
Reply to  Coach MM
3 years ago

He needed to be 2:08.52 or faster.

Mark
Reply to  Coach MM
3 years ago

It does not qualify him. But he will have another chance at the Europeans. On distances where no two swimmers have qualified themselves for the Olympics by meeting the time standard. Swimmers who have qualified for the European Championship can try again at the Europeans

Drama King
Reply to  Mark
3 years ago

If he qualifies in 100 br, does that get him in to race 200 br in Olympics ?
He already has FINA A cut in 200 and if he punches the ticket to Tokyo in 100, he’ll have his chance for swim 200.

Mark
Reply to  Drama King
3 years ago

Potentially yes, Dutch Federation made those decisions in the past to add a number to the schedule for a already placed swimmer. Only if these races would not be in conflict.

Bear in mind his father missed the olympics back in the 80’s also due to a minor difference. So hopefully this time the family is on the right side.

M L
3 years ago

Which of these guys will be best prepared to swim three world-class 200s breast over two days? I feel like that question often gets lost when people post great times at meets where it’s easier to final. (I don’t mean to take anything away from this awesome swim, of course.)

Joe
Reply to  M L
3 years ago

Idk I feel that in general, those with more closing speed tend to fare better over the multi-round grind of heats-semis-finals. Its those type of swimmers who can gradually crank things up as the rounds progress without expending too much energy. Which would mean that Chupkhov has an edge over the likes of Kamminga or Wilson, who take it out hard.

My evidence to support my claim is mostly anecdotal. Phelps is, among other things, perhaps the GOAT of navigating heats-semis-finals in a heavy schedule, and we all know how his finishing speed was. Conversely, I feel like Chad Le Clos’ three fly-and-die 200 frees in 2016 may have given him a medal, but adversely affected the rest of his… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Joe
DrSwimPhil
Reply to  M L
3 years ago

And do it legally, as they won’t have a choice with the cameras…

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Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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