A day after just missing the textile best in the 50 free Cesar Cielo was back with guns blazing in the 50 fly. Cielo not only blasted a new textile best in the event but also set a personal best when he touched in 22.76. That time betters his lifetime best of 22.98 from last year and also downs Roland Schoeman’s textile best of 22.96 from the 2005 world championships. That is easily the top mark of the year and also moves Cielo to fourth all-time in the event along with bettering both the Brazilian and South American record. Right behind him was Nicholas Santos who also bettered the textile best as he touched in 22.79. He now sits second this year and fifth all-time right behind Cielo also under the old marks.
Fred Bousquet, a former Auburn teammate of Cielo’s wound up third in 23.02. That was his own personal textile best and moves him to third in the world. As he failed to make the French Olympic team Bousquet will instead turn his focus to the European Championships coming up next moth as his big meet of the summer. Taking fourth was Glauber Silva in 23.19 to sit fourth, a time that could win almost any 50 fly race outside of this one.
Before Cielo and company took to the water the crowd was already hyped after a similar showing on the women’s side. Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen comprises a stellar international field invited to this meet and she didn’t disappoint with her own textile best in the 50 fly. Ottesen’s time of 25.29 is not only a new textile world’s best but also betters the rest of the world by nearly over six tenths of a second as the second best time in the world this year is a 25.90 by Inge Dekker. That time is also the third fastest ever behind only the world record of 25.07 by Therese Alshammer and the 25.28 swum by Marleen Veldhuis both from the 2009 suited world championships.
Felipe Silva joins the sub-1:00 club as he took the win in 59.83. That time came up just a bit short of his prelim time of 59.63 which ranks him third in the world this year behind the strong Japanese duo of Kosuke Kitajima and Ryo Tateishi. It also marks the first time that Silva has swum under a minute and puts him in this mix for a medal in London this summer.
A host of other swimmers finish in in 1:00 with Henrique Barbosa taking second in 1:00.38 which was good enough for 10th this year. Right on his heels was Joao Gomes at 1:00.54 to move up to 16th. Felipe Lima touched fourth in 1:00.62 however he was much faster in prelims with a 1:00.11 which ranks eighth this year. Tales Cerdeira took fifth at 1:00.97 to sit just outside the top 25.
Denmark’s Lotte Friis took the 800 free in 8:26.98 to move into sixth in the world this year. While a strong swim she still has a ways to go to catch Rebecca Adlington who sits almost 4.5 seconds ahead of the rest of the world at this point in the year. Adlington will also have the home crowd advantage in London so the rest of the field better bring their A game if they want a chance to challenge the world record holder. Another who could challenge was runner-up here Mireia Belmonte of Spain who touched in 8:31.80. She also has already been 8:25 at the Spanish Open last month.
A battle ensued in the men’s 200 backstroke between Leonardo de Deus and Thiago Pereira. Despite being a few lanes apart (de Deus in lane 2, Pereira in 5) the two men were stroke for stroke coming down the stretch but in the end it was de Deus who got his hand to the wall a mere .01 ahead of Pereira. De Dues touched in 1:57.38, Pereira at 1:57.39. Both men move into the top 10 in the world this year with de Dues at 6th and Pereira in a tie for 7th.
In the other races of the evening Laure Manaudou blasted the field by over 4.5 seconds to take the 200 back in 2:11.77. That time comes up well short of her 2:08.06 from the French Nationals. In the women’s 100 breaststroke it was Ana Carvalho who took the win in 1:10.53.