Despite the prodigious absence of one Katinka Hosszu who has dominated the event for several years, the 2015 Swim Meet of the Indian Ocean began on Monday in Saint-Paul, Reunion: an overseas French territory in the Indian Ocean. The meet is being raced in a short course (25) meters pool.
While the famed Hungarian, SwimSwam’s Female European Swimmer of the Year for 2015, didn’t make the journey this week, several Dutch swimmers, among other mainland Europeans, traveled to give this meet a deeper field than it’s had in the past on the women’s side.
Ranomi Kromowidjojo, one of the world’s top sprint freestylers, didn’t get a shot at her specialty 50 or 100 freestyles on Monday, but still picked up two individual victories, and the correlating prize money, in the 50 backstroke and 100 fly.
That 50 backstroke was the most competitive race of the day – Kromowidjojo won in 27.48, followed by Czech swimmer Simona Baumrtova (27.51) and Dutch swimmer Femke Heemskerk (27.97). Heemskerk may very well have won the race, but she was coming off a short recovery from dominating the 200 free by more than 5 seconds with a 1:53.60. She topped Hungarian Zsu Jakabos (1:58.95) for the win.
Kromowidjojo’s second victory came much later in the session: she swam a 58.54 in the 100 fly to top French National Team swimmer, and Reunion local, Lara Grangeon (59.84). Grangeon’s preferred distance is over 200 meters, and while she skipped the 400 IM, generally one of her specialty events, on day 1 of the meet, she did easily wint he 200 breaststroke. A Czech trio took 2nd (Martina Moravcikova – 2:29.44), 3rd, (Barbora Zavadova – 2:32.27), and 4th (Matina Elhenicka – 2:43.07) in the event.
Further down those rankings, 13-year old Amelie Bordes finished 6th in 2:47.89, which broke the Reunion National Record for 13-year olds.
The day finished with a Jakobos easy victory in the 400 IM in 4:34.63.
The best swim of the day on the men’s side of the pool was a 24.73 in the 50 back from Hungarian Gabor Balog. France’s Lorys Bourelly swam 1:46.28 in the 200 free; Anthony Pannier swam 2:18.57 in the 200 breast; Krisztian Takacs won the 100 fly in 52.75; and Yannick Chatelain finished the day’s individual events with a 4:18.86 in the 400 IM.