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Friday, September 22
De Bruijn slashes 50m record
From Craig Lord in Sydney
Inge de Bruijn’s reaction time said it all: 0.41sec off the blocks as measured by the electrode attached to the platform from which she pounced Puma-like on her way to a stunning world record of 24.13sec in the second semi-final of the 50m freestyle.
In setting the thirteenth world record in the pool in Sydney - more than three times the number established in Atlanta four years ago - the flying Dutchwoman reduced the gap that has existed between men and women over the distance for the past 15 years by half a second.
The average reaction time in the semi-finals was 0.78sec. De Bruijn left the blocks as though her feet had been placed over hot coals. Emerging from her dive ahead of reigning Olympic champion Amy Van Dyken, of the United States, the most talked-about woman in the pool in Sydney evoked memories of China’s Le Jingyi, the former world record-holder, in 1994.
Then, Le had windmilled her way to a global standard of 24.51sec, in a victory of power over technique to take the world title. So it was with de Bruijn, whose straight-arm action is not the prettiest sight in the pool, though under water she is sharply efficient.
De Bruijn said she was looking forward to the final. Her rivals were not. Nearest to her today was Therese Alshammar, of Sweden, on 24.80sec. The biggest winning margin in any world-level championship over 50m was secured by Le in 1994, when she finished 0.59sec ahead of Natalia Mesheryakova, the Russian who was later suspended for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Beyond that discredited race, an average of less than 0.15sec has split the top two medals over 50m on a global stage in the past 14 years, since the event was introduced at the world championships in Madrid.
Victory in the final would bring De Bruijn her third gold medal of the Games and make her the most successful swimmer, her triumphs all in individual events.
Also in the final is Britain's Alison Sheppard, the Glaswegian who trains in Canada, who is making her Olympic debut at the age of 27. Her time of 25.32sec puts her in at sixth.
