Dolphins Reign In Spain
2008-06-11
Craig Lord
Jones on 1:05.72 100m breaststroke; Sullivan on 22.05 50 free; Rice on 2:11 200 medley; Edington goes 27.83 50 back; Mills, Lauterstein, Rickard and Delaney among winners; Pereira, Ito and Trott hold fort for the rest of the world

After giving her own 200m world record a scare on day one of the Barcelona round of the Mare Nostrum tour Lethal Leisel Jones was a little further adrift in the 100m on day two. It is a measure of her dominance, however, that she had crack out a 1:05.72, fall 0.63 shy of her own world record yet still find herself comfortably at the helm of the world rankings in Olympic year.

The US Olympic trials at the end of the month will provide a final pre-Games picture of just how big a favourite Jones is to join Penny Heyns (RSA) as the second member of the club of women who have won both 100m and 200m titles at the Games. In Jones' wake in Barcelona were Mirna Jukic (AUT) and Tarnee White (AUS), on 1:08.07 and 1:08.32 respectively.

Australia had another fine day on tour beyond Jones. Eamon Sullivan (AUS) was a world away from his world record in the 50m freestyle, on 22.05, a meet record, in heats and 22.12 in the final to stay ahead of Stefan Nystrand (SWE), on 22.23, Fred Bousquet (FRA), 22.41 and Cesar Cielo (BRA), 22.46. Ashley Delaney (AUS) also set a meet best, of 54.22 in the 100m backstroke to get the better of Helge Meeuw (GER), on 54.46, and fellow Dolphin Hayden Stoecke, on 55.07.

Sophie Edington (AUS) shook her own world record in the 50m backstroke, her 27.83 just 0.16sec shy of target. Alice Mills (AUS) finished 0.01sec ahead of Josefin Lillhage (SWE) on 54.93 in the 100m freestyle. Andrew Lauterstein (AUS) claimed the 100m butterfly in 52.66 ahead of former world record holder Andrey Serdinov (UKR), on 52.78, and and fellow Dolphins Garth Kates, 52.98, and the oldest member of the Australian Olympic team this summer, Adam Pine, on 53.01, after having clocked 52.44 in heats.

World record holder down in the phenomenal world of a 2:08, Stephanie Rice (AUS) stormed to a 2:11.94 victory in the 200m medley ahead of Julie Hjorth-Hansen in a Danish record of 2:13.01 and Evelyn Verraszto (HUN), on 2:13.32. The 200m freestyle went to Patrick Murphy (AUS) in 1:48.77 ahead of teammates Nick Ffrost, 1:48.98, and Kirk Palmer, 1:49.36. The 200m breaststroke went to Brenton Rickard (AUS) in 2:12.92.

Thiago Pereira (BRA) was a class apart in the 400m medley, on 4:12.90, with David Verraszto (HUN) on 4:16.30 and Mirna's little brother, Dinko Jukic (AUT), on 4:17.72. Therese Alshammar (SWE), world champion and record holder clocked 25.86 to win the 50m butterfly ahead of Felicity Galvez (AUS) on 26.38. Galvez, who swam a 2:07.87 heats effort in the 200m butterfly, won the final in 2:08.24. Hanae Ito (JPN), won the 200m backstroke in 2:09.17, ahead of Dolphins Belinda Hocking, 2:10.25, and Meagen Nay, 2:10.74. Wendy Trott (RSA) won the 400m freestyle in 4:08.96.