Tense Time For Veldhuis
2008-03-20
Craig Lord
The first Dutch European champion in the 100m freestyle since 1950 is still learning valuable lessons on the way to Beijing
Marleen Veldhuis (NED) has learned so many lessons in sprinting in recent times but there is always more to learn: in 25.43, the Dutchwoman pressed the pedal a touch to hard on the way out in the final of the 100m freestyle and paid the price in the closing 15m metres of a race in which Hanna-Maria Seppala (FIN), the 2003 world champion, provided constant pressure in the next lane (3). The result: a 53.77 victory that made Veldhuis the first Dutchwoman to win the European title since 1950, a 54.04 silver-lining for Seppala and a bronze in 54.12 for Inge Dekker (NED).

The pressure of the moment was intense for the Dutch. No louder cheers have there been this week than the roar that accompanied the announcement of the names in lanes 4 and 5, Veldhuis and Dekker respectively. The ranks of the national media and the guest lists of the guest commentators brought in by Dutch TV were swollen by scribes and voices for whom the pool is not a natural haunt.

There were also some swimming worthies on hand. In the stands to witness a moment billed as an assault on Britta Steffen's world record of 53.30 were Inge De Bruijn, 2000 Olympic champion, and a woman who should have gone down as the first black swimmer to become Olympic and European champion had it not been for the steroid-boosted performances of the GDR women finishing ahead of her: Enith Brigitha, born in the Dutch Antilles.

Veldhuis, coached here in Eindhoven by Jacco Verhearen, clocked a record 52.65 split in the world -record breaking 4x100m free relay on Tuesday, raising expectations of her becoming the fourth Dutchwoman in history to hold the world 100m record. The targets behind her remain ahead of her: Willy den Ouden (1932-56, x4); Cockie Gastelaars (1956, x2); Inge de Bruijn (2000-04, x2). All of that had an Aussie link den Oudengave way to Dawn Fraser, Gaterlaars hit back, before Fraser took the argument to a new level, then De Bruijn's era was ended by Jodie Henry and taken forward by Lisbeth Lenton. And just for good measure, Irma Schumacher, the last Dutchwoman to win the European 100m freestyle crown, in 1950 (with teammate Louisa Vaessen taking silver, the last time the Dutch claimed the one-two) lives in Australia.

Veldhuis, who matched the time in which De Bruijn last held the world record in 2000, said: 'I was much too fast on the first lap, but you simply have to risk that even if you don?t clock a World record. The crowds are fantastic and I wanted to give them something back.' Seppala added: 'I didn?t look at Marleen at all, but simply swam my own race. At the end it was very, very tough, but it has paid off by the time.'

The record that remains has stood to Steffen (GER) at 53.30 since she became European champion in Budapest in August 2006. The Australian Olympic trials next week raise the prospect of improvement. Interesting to note that the European swimming league and Dutch organisers list the following on the start lists in the world record box, with the words 'not recognised' alongside in tiny lettering: Lisbeth Lenton (AUS) 52.99. The world champion clocked that time at the USA v AUS Duel in the Pool in Sydney on April 3, 2007, in the wake of winning five gold medals at the World Championships, but FINA refused to ratify the time as a world record because the world champion had raced in a lane next to Michael Phelps (USA) in a fun mixed relay. No such event exists on the list of races that qualify for world-record status.

The Eindhoven race left the all-time ranking lists untouched, Veldhuis's best of 53.58 fifth fastest ever alongside Amanda Weir (USA). One good thing about the time for Veldhuis: its a courageous soul who arrives in Beijing as favourite for the crown on the clock.