Tes Schouten (NED) Drops Nearly Another Second En Route To 200 Breast Gold

2023 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 5-10, 2023
• Otopeni Olympic Swimming Complex, Bucharest, Romania
• Short Course Meters (25 meters)
• Prelims 2:30am (ET), Finals 11am (ET)
• Entries Book
• Live Results (Omega)
• Live Results (Microplus Timing)
• Eurovision Sport Livestream
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap

On the heels of dipping under the 2:17 barrier for her first time ever in the women’s 200m breaststroke last night, 22-year-old Tes Schouten of the Netherlands upped the ante with yet another lifetime best.

Competing in the final of the 2breast event on night four of the 2023 European Short Course Championships, Schouten stopped the clock in a time of 2:16.09 for gold. That hacked nearly another solid second off of 2:16.98 PB she recorded to take the top seed during yesterday’s semi-final.

In that previous race, Schouten opened in 1:05.12 and closed in 1:11.86 whereas this evening she split 1:04.71/1:11.38 to land atop the podium handily. The next-closest competitor was Denmark’s Thea Blomsterberg who snagged silver in 2:19.54 while Czech swimmer Kristyna Horska earned bronze in 2:19.63.

History-wise, Schouten rocketed up from being the 14th-best performer all-time with her time last night to now check in among the top 10 in the 9th slot.

All-Time Performers, Women’s 200 Breaststroke (SCM)

1. 1. Rebecca Soni (USA), 2:14.57 – 2009 Duel In The Pool
   2. Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS), 2:14.70 – 2022 Russian Champs
   3. Rikke Pedersen (DEN), 2:15.21 – 2013 SC Euros
   4. Leisel Jones (AUS), 2:15.42 – 2009 World Cup – Berlin
   5. Lilly King (USA), 2:15.56 – 2020 ISL Final
   6. Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2:15.62 – 2018 World Cup – Eindhoven
   7. Rie Kaneto (JPN), 2:15.76 – 2016 World Cup – Doha
   8. Kate Douglass (USA), 2:15.77 – 2022 SC Worlds
   9. Tes Schouten (NED), 2:16.09 – 2023 SC Euros
   10. Annie Lazor (USA), 2:16.33 – 2020 ISL Final

*Efimova broke the world record in 2013 in a time of 2:14.39, but the swim was not ratified due to her doping suspension.

Schouten reset the Dutch Record in the LCM 200 breast this past October at the World Cup, clocking 2:21.52 at the Budapest stop to complete a sweep and the “Triple Crown” bonus for the circuit.

She set the previous mark of 2:21.63 at the 2023 World Championships where she won bronze.

Schouten also owns the Dutch Record in the 100 breast at 1:05.71 from April, having finished 10th at the Fukuoka Worlds in 1:06.63.

Earlier in the meet, she won bronze in the LC 100 breast in a time of 1:04.04, narrowly missing her National Record set last year of 1:03.90 (also going 1:04.02 in the semis).