There have been plenty of world’s top ten swims and exciting races over the last three days in Marseille at the Mediterranean Open, but there was no better performance than in the women’s 800 freestyle. Spaniard Mireia Belmonte and Jazz Carlin of Great Britain provided a thriller posting the world’s second and third fastest times.
What made this race even more spectacular is that both women had the same race plan negative splitting the event by significant amounts.
Belmonte – 1:02.43/2:06.92 (1:04.49)/3:10.84 (1:03.92)/4:14.80 (1:03.96)/5:18.01 (1:03.21)/6:21.21 (1:03.20)/7:53.42 (1:02.21)/8:23.45 (1:00.03)
Carlin – 1:01.72/2:05.80 (1:04.08)/3:10.06 (1:04.26)/4:14.42 (1:04.36)/5:17.75 (1:03.33)/6:21.15 (1:03.04)/7:23.65 (1:02.50)/8:23.91 (1:00.26)
For both women, whose best times are only 18 one-hundredths of a second a part (Belmonte – 8:18.76, Carlin – 8:18.58), their performances were outstanding in season times. For Belmonte it is the fourth fastest she has ever swum, next to her times at the Olympics in 2012, the World Championships in 2013 and the Dutch Open in 2011. For Carlin it is her second fastest of all time, with only her performance at last year British Championships being faster.
The only swimmer to have posted a faster time this year was Australian Jessica Ashwood who set a national record posting an 8:19.76 at the New South Wales Championships at the end of February.
The men’s 1500 freestyle was also an incredible race between Spaniard Marc Sanchez Terrens and Daniel Fogg of Great Britain. Fogg took the early lead with Sanchez reeling him in methodically in the second half of the event.
500 splits:
Sanchez – 5:07.94/10:15.64 (5:07.70)/15:17.54 (5:01.90)
Fogg – 5:05.34/10:14.49 (5:09.15)/15:17.66 (5:03.17)
This was an extremely strong swim for Sanchez who was not far off his lifetime best of 15:12.53.
Both men finished just outside the top ten rankings.
Jack Burnell of Great Britain finished third in a time of 15:32.73.
British Olympian Fran Halsall came up big once again. After putting up top ten times in both the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly on Saturday she returned to the pool to do the same in the 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle.
Halsall took the 50 butterfly in a time of 26.12 which places her second in the world, with only Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark, who posted a 25.62 last weekend, ahead of her. She also collected the win in the 100 freestyle in a time of 54.07, which ranks her sixth in the world.
Amy Smith of Great Britain finished second in the 50 butterfly recording a time of 26.89 followed by teammate Rachael Kelly who posted a 26.95.
In the 100 freestyle Charlotte Bonnet of France collected the silver while her French teammate Anna Santamans took the bronze in a time of 55.95.
British teammates Georgia Davies and Lauren Quigley went one, two in the 100 backstroke, with both women recording times that place them in the world’s top ten. Davies won the event in a time of 1:00.45 followed closely by Quigley who posted a 1:00.69.
Frenchman Mehdy Metella took both the 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle. He posted a time of 24.08 in the 50 butterfly, a time which is three one-hundredths of a second from the world’s 10th fastest time. In the 100 freestyle Metella was the only man to break the 50 second mark posting a 49.99 for the win.
Giacomo Perez Dortona of France took gold in the men’s 100 breaststroke finishing in a time of 1:01.91. In the women’s event Jessica Vall Montero of Spain took the open title in a time of 1:09.35.
Magnus Jakupsson of Denmark won the men’s 100 backstroke in a time of 56.85.
Full results can be found here