Marco Koch
German Swim Team
Adam Peaty had himself a heck of a weekend at the Berlin International Swim Meet in Berlin. Peaty won the 50 and 100 breaststroke events, not only in competition record time, but posting times that place him on the top of the world rankings in both events.
In the 50 breaststroke Peaty won the race in a time of 27.51 beating the John Neumann‘s 2009 record of 27.99. The swim was a lifetime best by seven one-hundredths of a second and put him on top of the world rankings passing Christian Sprenger who had posted a 27.54 earlier in the year.
His 100 breaststroke accomplishments were even better than his 50’s. Peaty took the event in a lifetime best of 59.90 and broke the meet record twice. In the preliminaries he posted a 1:01.07 breaking the meet record of 1:01.12 set by Oleg Lisogor in 2008 and then went on to break his own record in the final.
His time also passed Koseki Yasuhiro, who had recorded a 59.94 earlier in the year, to take over the top spot in the world rankings.
Peaty’s winning streak did not extend to the 200 breaststroke, that is where Marco Koch took over. Koch won the event in a time of 2:08.84 breaking the meet record of 2:12.62 set by Michael Jamieson in 2012. Koch, who just missed his best time of 2:08.33, posted the world’s top ranked time beating the 2:11.32 Mao Feilan put up earlier this year.
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor also had a very productive weekend winning the women’s 50 and 100 butterfly as well as the 100 freestyle and 200 IM, all in lifetime bests. O’Connor took the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 26.45, tying the meet record set by Anna Dowgiert in 2013.
She also broke the meet record in the women’s 200 IM winning the event in a 2:10.35. Her time after this weekend’s events, where Alicia Coutts posted a 2:10.23, puts her second in the world rankings. O’Connor’s time crushed the meet record of 2:15.77 which was set by Ingvild Snildal in 2012. It also beats her own lifetime best of 2:10.53.
She won the 100 butterfly in a time of 58.81 beating her lifetime best of 59.63, which she posted at the 2013 British Gas International and finished off the competition by tying Louise Hansson for the win in the 100 freestyle, with both women touching in a time of 55.16.
Velimir Stepanovic came away with three victories in the 200 and 400 freestyle and the 200 butterfly. Sepanovic won the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:48.32, which bettered Filippo Magnini’s 2010 meet record of 1:48.36. He took the 400 freestyle in a time of 3:54.49 and the 200 butterfly in a time of 1:58.33.
In the women’s 100 backstroke Jenny Mensing, who eventually finished third in the event, posted a time of 1:01.02 in the preliminaries breaking her own meet record of 1:01.22, which she set in 2013. Then in the final Lizzie Simmonds erased Mensing’s record winning the women’s 100 backstroke in a time of 1:00.81.
Simmonds also took gold in the 200 backstroke winning the event in a new meet record time of 2:08.91. Her time beat the competition record of 2:10.86 set by Anja Carman in 2012.
Philip Heintz took gold in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly. Heintz winning time of 2:00.37 in the 200 IM beat the meet record of 2:04.25 set by Peter Mankoc in 2007. Heintz took the 100 butterfly in a time of 53.52.
Christopher Walker-Hebborn also took home multiple gold winning the 100 backstroke in a time of 54.15 and 100 freestyle in a time of 50.29.
Both men’s and women’s 400 IM meet records fell. In the men’s event Roberto Pavoni took the event in a time of 4:20.85, bettering the meet record of 4:26.35 set by Thomas Lurz in 2008 while Aimee Willmott won the women’s event in a time of 4:36.48 breaking the meet record of 4:48.48 set by Boglarka Kapas in 2009.
Full results can be found here
Not mentioned here, but a name to watch, 17 year old Amelia Maughan.
She is the British age group (14) record holder from 50-200m Freestyle, from 2010. But has struggled since then. Swam 1.59.66 this weekend in Berlin though, over a second of her PB in one race. She looked like the next big thing in British swimming in 2010, her potential could be starting to show now. She is a big strong girl too, so could a rapid growth spurts have slowed her development? She reminds me of Jeanette Ottesen, tall, broad, looks very powerful, bright blonde hair… she is half Danish though, that may be why 😛
http://britishswimming.zenfolio.com/p429391032/h309CBB4C#h309cbb4c
This photo illustrates… Read more »
Half Danish eh? I shall keep an eye on her 🙂
Good to see breaststroke is in such rude health in Britain at the moment, almost an embarrassment of riches with Jamieson, Willis, Ross Murdoch and Peaty. Shame there isn’t a 4×100 breaststroke relay 🙂
I would recommend it, she is a huge talent, but you’re not having her 😛
You can add to that list Sliwinski, British record holder on 59.55 and won Olympic trials before getting an injury and missing the games. He came back to win the UK trials last year on the 50m, in 27.40. Craig Benson, 2011 World Junior champion 60.0 at his best and the fast improving Chris Steeples, 60.7 PB this year already. All of the aforementioned names born in in 90s too… British female breaststroke really needs to catch up!
Seems to be a lot of good talent ready to step up to the highest level in Britain at the moment after a couple of lean years.
He may not have won a medal but I though the way Craig McNally just went for it in Barcelona and showed no fear even up against the likes of Lochte was one of my swims of the meet. With the likes of him, James Guy, Ben Proud, Aimee Wilmott and your favourite Siobhan Marie O’Connor, the future looks bright.