With much excitement and gold medals in their eyes, the Danish Swimming Federation and head coach Nick Juba will send a roster of 15 swimmers to the 2014 World Short Course Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Juba has announced a goal of 7 medals from the meet: an ambitious, but conceivable, goal for a country that has only won 22 medals total in the 13 prior editions of this meet.
Denmark is sending a women’s medley relay capable of bringing home as high as gold. That’s the relay of Mie Nielsen, Rikke Moeller Pedersen, Jeanette Ottesen, and Pernille Blume who broke the European Record in the long course 400 medley at this summer’s European Championships. That time was faster than the one done by the defending World Champion Americans at Pan Pacs, and just .13 slower than the Australians were at the same meet; and faster than anybody was at the Asian Games (though those results were marred by a Chinese DQ).
This meet will also be an important bounce-back for Lotte Friis, who had a disappointing summer of racing after moving to train at NBAC. She’s now switched her official club allegiance in Denmark from Sigma to Gentofte (a noticed move domestically), and will hope to add to the 800 free silver she won at Worlds in Istanbul in 2012.
The men’s program is also sending one of the best teams that they’ve ever sent to this meet, including Viktor Bromer, the defending European Champion in the 200 meter fly in long course.
Bromer took bronze behind only Chad le Clos and Tom Shields in the 200 fly at the Moscow stop of the FINA World Cup series, and sits 6th in the world so far this year in that event.
2014-2015 SCM Men 200 Fly TYR World Ranking
LE CLOS
1.48.61
| 2 | Daiya SETO | JPN | 1.48.92 | 12/07 |
| 3 | Tom SHIELDS | USA | 1.50.08 | 08/27 |
| 4 | Pawel KORZENIOWSKI | POL | 1.50.21 | 12/07 |
| 5 | Alexander KUDASHEV | RUS | 1.51.80 | 11/07 |
While three of the best Danish men, NCAA (American collegiate system) based swimmers Soren Dahl, Anton Ipsen, and Andreas Schiellerup from North Carolina State, are all missing this meet, another, Anders Lie from Michigan, will attend. And finally, this will be an important hurdle for distance swimmer Mads Glaesner, the defending champion in the 1500 free.
He was suspended for three months for a positive doping sample taken at these short course World Championships back in 2012, and lost a medal in the 400 free as a result. In 2014, he’ll have a chance to re-earn that lost medal, and supplement it with more, in the men’s 400, 800, and 1500 meter freestyles.
Denmark’s Team for the 2014 World Short Course Championships
Jeanette Ottesen, Vejle Svømmeklub Triton/NTC
Pernille Blume, Sigma Swim Birkerød/NTC
Rikke Møller Pedersen, Herning Svømmeklub/STM/NTC
Lotte Friis, Gentofte Svømme Klub/USA
Mie Ø. Nielsen, Ålborg Svømmeklub
Julie Levisen, Ålborg Svømmeklub
Sarah Bro, Gentofte Svømme Klub/NTC
Julie Aglund Lauridsen, Sigma Swim Allerød/NTC
Chris Christensen, Herning Svømmeklub/STM
Viktor B. Bromer, Ålborg Svømmeklub
Mads Glæsner, Sigma Swim Allerød/USA
Anders Lie, Farum Svømmeklub/USA
Daniel Skaaning, STT/VAT-Copenhagen/NTC
Frederik Siem Pedersen, Farum Svømmeklub
Frans Johannesen, Esbjerg Svømmeklub
am i correct when i say that Pal Joensen trains with Shannon Rollason at the NTS ?
its amazing the diverse squad that he has at the NTS, and the transformation of all the swimmers into international standard
Also watch for the women’s 4×1 free
Ottesen-Levisen-Nielsen-Blume
Finished clearly first at the Euros ahead of good Swedish and Dutch teams before being disqualified for a tight takover
I’m guessing Pal Joensen is representing Faroe Islands this meet? He’s got a respectable shot at hardware in a 1500M.
Yes, Pál only represents Denmark at the Olympics, although it’s just been announced that he is joining the Great Danes project to help inspire and mentor other Danish male swimmers. When you consider that two other Danish national team swimmers Frans Johannesen and Magnus Jákupsson were born in the Faroes it’s quite remarkable for such a tiny country.
Isn’t Inge Dekker Dutch?
Yes – my mistake.