Bernard: 47.60 WR 100 Free
2008-03-21
Craig Lord
Frenchman storms past Hoogie at the Dutch hero's home pool; Filippi (ITA) wins 800m in 8:23.50; Belmonte (ESP) sets championship record of 2:11.16 200 medley

Alain Bernard (FRA) steamrollered over opponents with a world record of 47.60 in the 100m freestyle semi-final here at the European Championships.

Bernard turned in 22.88 on his way to eclipsing Pieter van den Hoogenband's world record of 47.84, from Sydney 2000. Adding insult to injury, the Frenchman sprung his surprise in the Hoogie's home pool. Bernard's previous best had been 48.12. And before that, it was 48.54. And in 2006 it was 49.22. And in 2005, at 22 years of age and just starting to put a little muscle on, 49.95. He's put alot of muscle on since. A great deal indeed.

Hoogie split 23.16 on his way to 47.84 in the semi-final in Sydney. Bernard's is the first championship win under 48sec, Stefan Nystrand's sub 48 effort last summer having unfolded at the Paris Open. Consider the splits for a second: Hoogie would have been 0.28sec behind Bernard at half-way and would have clawed back only 0.04sec on the way home. Interesting. At the time of that effort, the Dutchman was in Olympic champion, world-record-breaking form in the 200m, on 1:45.35. Bernard's best 200m is a 1:50.95. How does that work? I'll put the question when I get the chance. The answer appears to be that he never swims 200m races. Can we assume that were he to do so he would be clocking 1:45s-1:46s?

Bernard told reporters gathered here in the mixed zone that his performance had been unexpected. It was 'symbolic' to take down the record in Hoogie's home pool but he wished the Olympic champion a speedy recovery from illness and hoped to see him in Beijing. The Dutchman was the king of sprint and was needed for the race in China, said Bernard, while realising that he, not the defending champion, was now favourite to win the Olympic crown. For now. In this world of speedy advance, anything could happen at myriad national Olympic trials around the globe over the coming few weeks.

Bernard is the third Frenchman to hold the record: Alain Gottvalles, who died recently, was the previous holder, in 1964 and Alex Jany the first, in 1947.

Bernard's effort was not only explosive on the way out but the work of several cart-horses coming home. Stefan Nystrand (SWE), lining up for the second semi looked stunned, and produced a 48.70.

The new top 10 all-time:


47.60 Bernard (FRA)
47.84 Van den Hoogenband (NED)
47.91 Nystrand (SWE)
48.11 Sullivan (SWE)
48.12 Magnini (ITA)
48.17 Lezak (USA)
48.17 Schoeman (RSA)
48.18 Klim (AUS)
48.21 Popov (RUS)
48.33 Ervin (USA)

Bernard was not the only swimmer flying well past previous form. Mireia Belmonte (ESP) clocked a championship record of 2:11.16 to become the first spanish champion in the 200m medley ahead of Evelyn Verraszto (HUN), 2:12.93, and Camille Muffat (FRA), 2:13.63. Belmonte's splits: 28.98; 34.25; 36.68; 31.25. Look at the breaststroke split: Belmonte crushed he rivals down the third lap with a split that compares with the 37.93 of Wu Yanyan (CHN) on the way to that dodgy pre-suspension effort back in 1997. Belmonte received her medal from Enith Brigitha, robbed of becoming the first black swimming Olympic champion in 1976 by East Germans supported by the steroid-based State Plan 14:25.

Belmonte swam inside Olympic champion Yana Klochkova's 2002 win for Ukraine. Tonight, Klochkova looked liked a defeated athlete as she finished eighth in 2:16.00 and looked up at the scoreboard with a mixture of resignation and surprise. Belmonte's 2:11.67 in the semi-final compared to previous best times of 2:16.85 in 2006, 2:14.90 in 2007 and a 2:14.48 at the start of the year. That put her ninth fastest all-time behind Wu, Hoff, Coventry, Myers, Klochkova, Chen, Rice and Lin. Now she is sixth best, after Klochkova and ahead of Chen and the rest.

Belmonte said: 'Today seems to be a Spanish day in Eindhoven - two events, two medals ... I?m in top shape, but not in the form to set a new European record. I left my competitors quite a bit behind me.'

The other medal she was referring to came in the 800m freestyle. Alessia Filippi (ITA) wiped a chunk off her best time to win the European crown in 8:23.50. The Italian record had stood at 8:28.92 to Cristina Sossi since 1989, while Filippi's best had been beyond Federica Pellegrini's 8:29.01, at 8:31.54. All aimed not at Zeigler, Manaudou and co, perhaps, so much as at Hoff, Coventry and Co in the medley. However, Filippi said: 'I have been swimming the 800m freestyle for just one year at international championships and feel very comfortable in this event. Besides the 400m individual medley I shall possibly swim the 800m free and leave out the 200m back in Beijing.' Erika Villaecija (ESP) claimed the silver in 8:24.08 and Camelia Potec (ROM) the bronze in 8:25.28.