December 17, 2001	Monday	Shawwal 1, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ANTWERP (Belgium), Dec 16: Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand inflicted another defeat on Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband by successfully defending his 100 metres freestyle title at the European short-course championships on Saturday.

Nystrand, who broke the championship record in winning gold in the 50 metres freestyle on Thursday, a race in which van den Hoogenband took bronze, proved too strong for the Dutchman again by clocking 47.15 seconds.

Van den Hoogenband, winner of the 100 and 200 metres freestyle at the Sydney Olympics, had to be content with silver, finishing in 47.42.

Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine secured his second gold of the championships in the 50 metres breaststroke, but was pushed all the way by world record holder Mark Warnecke of Germany.

Just 0.04 seconds separated the pair at the line. Lisogor, who won the 100 metres breaststroke on Friday, clocked 26.71, just 0.01 away from equalling Warnecke’s world mark. Britain’s Darren Mew took bronze in 26.85.

Slovenia’s Anja Carnan surprisingly won the women’s 400 metres freestyle, setting a championship record in beating world and Olympic champion Yana Klochkova of Ukraine by just 0.07 seconds.

Her winning time was over seven seconds faster than she clocked in the heats.

Klochkova, who retained her 200 metres individual medley title on Thursday, admitted to feeling a touch of fatigue.

A world record was set in the men’s 100 metres medley by Peter Mankoc of Slovenia, who won his semifinal in 52.63, beating the previous record of 52.79 held by Neil Walker of the United States.

Britain’s James Hickman won gold in the men’s 200 metres butterfly final in 1:52.93, edging out Ukraine’s Denys Sylantev who clocked 1:53.34 and Russia’s Anatoli Poliakov (1:53.54)

Hickman also took bronze on Friday in finishing behind Germany’s Thomas Rupprath in the 100 metres butterfly.

U.S. based Slovak Martina Moravcova set a championship record in winning the women’s 100 metres medley final in a time of 1:00.16.

Moravcova, who took silver behind Inge de Bruijn in the 100 metres freestyle on Friday, was too strong for Slovenia’s Alenka Kejzar and Russia’s Oxana Verevka.

Germany’s Joerg Hoffmann won gold in the 1,500 metres men’s freestyle, edging out Russia’s Alexei Filipets, while Ilona Hlavackova of the Czech Republic set a European record in winning the women’s 50 metres backstroke.

RESULTS

WOMEN

400metres freestyle: 1. Anja Carnan (Slovenia) four minutes and 02.72 seconds; 2. Yana Klochkova (Ukraine) 4:02.79; 3. Irina Oufimtseva (Russia) 4:05.68.

100m medley: 1. Martina Moravcova (Slovakia) 1:00.16; 2. Alenka Kejzar (Slovenia) 1:00.90; 3. Oxana Verevka (Russia) 1:01.92.

50m backstroke: 1. Ilona Hlavackova (Czech Republic) 27.06; 2. Anu Koivisto (Finland) 27.75; 3. Janine Pietsch (Germany) 27.79

4x50m medley: 1. Sweden 1:48.32; 2. Germany 1:49.92; 3. Netherlands 1:50.00

Men’s

1,500m freestyle: 1. Joerg Hoffman (Germany) 14:41.20; 2. Alexei Filipets (Russia) 14:41.98; 3. Nicolas Rostoucher (France) 14:47.47.

200m butterfly: 1. James Hickman (Britain) 1:52.93; 2. Denys Sylantyev (Ukraine) 1:53.34; 3. Anatoli Poliakov (Russia) 1:53.54

100m freestyle: 1. Stefan Nystrand (Sweden) 47.15; 2. Pieter van den Hoogenband (Netherlands) 47.42; 3= Romain Barnier (France) 47.53; 3= Duje Draganja (Croatia) 47.53

50m breaststroke: 1. Oleg Lisogor (Ukraine) 26.71; 2. Mark Warnecke (Germany) 26.75; 3. Darren Mew (Britain) 26.85.—Reuters