Belgian 15-Year-Old Vanotterdijk Impresses With 58.30 100 Fly Age Record

2020 HENGELO LC CHALLENGE

• Wednesday, August 12th – Friday, August 14th
• Hengelo, NED
• LCM (50m)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap
• Start Lists/Live Results

Day 2 of the Hengelo Long Course Challenge in the Netherlands brought some stellar swims across the board, starting with Maaike de Waard in the women’s 100m back.

Entering this meet, 23-year-old De Waard’s personal best rested at the 1:00.55 she clocked at last year’s Swim Cup – Eindhoven. However, tonight, De Waard broke under that barrier with a solid 1:00.02 to teeter on the minute threshold.

Splitting 29.23/31.26, De Waard held off national record holder Kira Toussaint, who settled for silver tonight in 1:00.49.

As for her swim, De Waard commented afterward, “I did not expect to take this step now, but I am very proud of it. I would have thought a time around my PB would have been more realistic, so I did not see this coming. It is a proud moment.”

Another highlight of the evening came in the form of Arno Kamminga‘s 2:08.73 winning 200 breaststroke. The Dutchman is proving his consistency in this event, as well as the 100m breast, after his wreaking ball run last year and into this year.

Kamminga ultimately got the 200m breast Dutch national record down to 2:07.18 in March of this year, pre-coronavirus pandemic so his 2:08.73 tonight is a solid effort at this point of the year.30.87

Visiting Belgian swimmer Roos Vanotterdijk impressed big-time in the women’s 100m fly, posting a winning mark of 58.30 to log a PB by over half a second.

Splitting 27.43/30.87, the European Youth Olympic Games silver medalist in this event notched a new lifetime best, beating the 59.33 she logged there in Baku. In a more recent, unsanctioned race with hand timing, Vanotterdijk clocked a statement-making 100m fly time of 58.83 in the Corona duel with the Netherlands last month.

Just 15 years of age, Vanooterdijk now takes over the Belgian National Age Record in this event. For additional perspective, Vanotterdijk’s 58.30 time here would rank her as the 6th fastest American female ever aged 15-16, sitting ahead of the likes of Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh and Dana Vollmer.

Additional Notes:

• 50m freestyle national record holder Kenzo Simons brought his A-game in the 100m back, taking the meet title in a time of 57.50.
• The men’s 100m fly saw Louis Croenen dig deep for a victory in 52.59, topping the field by over 2 seconds.
• Olympian Ranomi Kromowidjojo was in the water, anchoring a 4x100m free relay with a time of 54.09. Leading off that same relay was Marrit Steenbergen, clocking a 54.65 opener to beat out the 54.99 time she produced last night in the individual event for bronze.
• Kromo also took silver in the 100m fly in 59.41.