ROTTERDAM QUALIFICATION MEET (NED)
- Thursday, December 3rd – Sunday, December 6th
- Zwemcentrum Rotterdam, Netherlands
- LCM (50m)
- Olympic Qualifier/European Championships Qualifier
- Entries
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Day 1 Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream
Already this morning at the Rotterdam Qualification Meet, Kira Toussaint matched her own Dutch national record in the heats of the women’s 50m backstroke.
26-year-old Toussaint produced a time of 27.49 in the women’s this morning’s back sprint prelims, a time which matches what she originally logged at the Berlin stop of the 2019 FINA World Cup Series.
Come tonight’s final at this 3-day meet, however, Toussaint found a way to chip away at the record to beat it outright, establishing a new mark in 27.37. That not only clips .12 off of the aforementioned 27.49, but her effort tonight now edges her further ahead in the all-time performers list in this women’s LCM 50m back event. She now ties Australian Emily Seebohm as the world’s 17th fastest performer ever.
Toussaint has been on a tear this year as a member of the International Swimming League (ISL) London Roar. It culminated with the former Tennessee Vol producing a new World Record in the women’s SCM 50 backstroke with a time of 25.60.
She finished 21st in the overall money standings table and 17th in the MVP standings, having accumulated a total of 179.0 points throughout the season.
50s of stroke should at the Olympics SMH. I don’t know why the 800 male and 1500 female and mixed relays were a bigger priority for FINA and the IOC. At lot of great swimmers will not get the chance to be in Tokyo.
I’m excited to see what she’ll be able to muster up in the 100m.
Mixed relays I agree on, but more sprint events aren’t necessary 100s are way more interesting events. 50s are all about skills, not the swimming.
First congrats to Kira!
Second—let’s say I did agree on the skills statement, that’s how innovation is going to happen in this sport. I bet if 50s became an Olympic event, we would start to see some mean starts and more experimental stuff happening under the water, with breakouts, and turns (would inevitably lead to more 50s in SCY and SCM).
Congratulations!