Flash! Ziegler Shatters Evans' World Record in 1500 Freestyle
MISSION VIEJO, California, June 17. SHE'S been tracking her idol for years, winning world titles and living up to the high expectations placed on her shoulders. Sunday night, swimming at the TYR Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, California, Kate Ziegler passed Janet Evans on the long-course scene. Contesting the 1500 freestyle, Ziegler lopped an unheard of 10 seconds from Evans' 1988 standard of 15:52.10.
Already the winner of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles at the meet, Ziegler saved her best for last and went 15:42, a time that is almost unfathomable. Ziegler, the two-time defending world champ in the 800 and 1500 freestyles, has been compared to Evans since she arrived as a rising force on the national scene. At the World Championships earlier this year in Melbourne, Ziegler posted a mark of 15:53.05, the second-fastest in history at that moment.
In Mission Viejo, she attacked the 30-lap event with a vengeance, moving ahead of world-record pace from the get-go. Obviously, since she broke the record by 10 seconds, there was never a question whether she would remain on target. It was only a matter of how low she would take the record, which was the oldest on the books, set March 26, 1988 in Orlando.
Considering Ziegler broke the oldest effort by such a large margin, one has to consider the swim as the finest performance in history. Forever, debate will rage as to which swims are the most impressive, but Ziegler at least can make a strong case for the distinction. Ziegler, of course, is trained by Ray Benecki of The Fish.
Check SwimmingWorldMagazine.com for more coverage of Ziegler's record-breaking swim.
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21st June 2007
New Zealand Swimmers on Top of Podium in California
New Zealand’s best teenage swimmers made their mark with three victories in the world class Swim Meet of Champions in California this week.
Southland’s Natalie Wiegersma, North Shore’s Penny Marshall and the women’s medley relay teams all win championship finals at the famous Mission Viejo meet south of Los Angeles.
The national development squad is competing in three major US meets this month, with the New Zealand elite squad also heading to California culminating in the Janet Evans Invitational.
Evans was to the fore at Mission Viejo where American Kate Ziegler lowered Evans’ world record for the 1500m freestyle, the oldest world mark still standing.
The young Kiwi squad stood up well in the world class meet, qualifying for 13 championship finals including three wins, a second and a third.
The 17 year old Wiegersma, the world junior champion, won the 200m individual medley, leading from her favoured backstroke leg to clock 2:17.71, which broke Helen Norfolk’s national age group record.
Marshall showed her class to win the 200m backstroke title in 2:18.04, proving too strong as she fought through from fourth place at the 100m mark.
Marshall and Wiegersma were part of the women’s 4x100m medley relay combination with Commonwealth Games representative Annabelle Carey (Christchurch) and Joyce Wiegersma (Southland) winning in 3:59.85. Carey showed her experience to push the New Zealanders in the lead in her breaststroke leg and they were never headed.
Auckland’s Kurt Bassett, 17 was second in the 200m backstroke with a superb swim in 2:03.64, only 2/10ths of a second from the winner.
He combined with John Gatfield, Steven Kent and Kane Radford to finish third in the 400m medley relay in 4:01.81.
The team will compete in the South California Age Group Invitational at Irvine starting on Friday ahead of the Santa Clara Invitational next week.
New Zealand finals results, Swim Meet of Champions, Mission Viejo, California:
Female:
100m freestyle: Joyce Wiegersma (Southland) 59.21, 7th
400m freestyle: Natalie Wiegersma (Southland) 4:25.17, 13th; J Wiegersma 4:26.14, 15th
800m freestyle: N Wiegersma 8:59.72, 6th; Penny Marshall (North Shore) 9:08.13, 13th; J Wiegersma 9:08.51, 15th
1500m freestyle: J Wiegersma 17:34.91, 12th
100m backstroke: Jessie Blundell (North Shore) 1:06.59, 10; Marshall 1:07.08, 15th
200m backstroke: Marshall 2:18.04, 1st
100m breaststroke: Annabelle Carey (Aquagym) 1:13.43, 11th
100m butterfly: N Wiegersma 1:03.27, 3rd
200m butterfly: N Wiegersma 2:19.91, 11th
200m medley: N Wiegersma 2:17.71, 1st (NZ Age record)
4x100m freestyle relay: NZ (N Wiegersma, Marshall, J Wiegersma, Blundell) 3:59.85. 8th
4x110m medley relay: NZ (Blundell, Carey, N Wiegersma, Marshall) 4:26.14, 1st
Male:
400m freestyle: Kane Radford (Rotorua) 4:03.40, 10th.
800m freestyle: Radford 8:18.95, 7th
1500m freestyle: Radford 16:11.91, 9th
100m backstroke: Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) 58.44, 7th; John Gatfield (Watties Swim City) 58.53, 8th
200m backstroke: Bassett 2:03.64, 2nd; Gatfield 2:09.62, 8th
200m butterfly: Steven Kent (Watties Swim City) 2:08.69, 12th
200m individual medley: Gatfield 2:10.21, 10th; Bassett 2:12.35, 12th
400m individual medley: Kent 4:42.11, 15th
4x100m medley relay: NZ (Bassett, Gatfield, Kent, Radford) 4:01.85, 3rd.
For further information:
Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
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