Stockholm ends with 50m back WR for Marshall (USA) and 50m fly WR for Alshammar (SWE)

But the WR saga was still not finished. In the last race of the day, Therese Alshammar (SWE) almost brought the Eriksdalsbadet complex down with an astonishing World Record in the women’s 50m butterfly. The 2007 winner of the World Cup finished first in 25.31, improving the 25.32 effort made by Felicity Galvez (AUS) in April 2008 at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Manchester (GBR). Alshammar’s performance was the fourth WR in Stockholm and the eighth of the series so far.

The 16th gold medal of Katheryn Meaklim (RSA) in the 2008 World Cup had a special taste for the South African star: on the second day in Stockholm (SWE), Meaklim won the 400m individual medley in 4:27.21, a new World Cup record. The previous best mark of the competition was established by Yana Klochkova (UKR) in January 2002 with a time of 4:27.83. At the end of the session, Meaklim added another gold to her collection, in the 200m breaststroke (2:22.07).

Back to the men’s field, in the much awaited 100m breaststroke, Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) started very strong and was under the world record pace at the 50m (-0.15), but in the end was first in ‘only’ 57.06 (1040 points). Burgh established a new World Record in the 50m breaststroke on Day 1 and improved the world best mark in the 100m in Moscow (the previous meet of the series), with 56.88. Moreover, it was Burgh’s eighth gold medal of this World Cup.

Also ‘electrical’ was the 50m free, with the duel between Fred Bousquet, from France, and local hero Stefan Nystrand. The French dominated the operations and was first in 20.97 (the fastest time so far in the event at this World Cup), leaving the Swedish star (gold medallist in Durban and Singapore) in second (21.18, and 12th medal of the circuit).

Oussama Mellouli, from Tunisia, obtained his 25th gold medal in this year’s World Cup with an easy triumph in the 200m free. Ninth of the heats, he benefited from the withdraw of Bousquet (more concentrated in the 50m free), and swimming in lane 8, Mellouli got the best time (1:42.86) of the current series in this event and his fifth win in the distance (he just missed the gold in Moscow). Much more complicated was the victory in the 200m individual medley: third after the breaststroke section, Mellouli managed an excellent freestyle leg (as usual for the 1500m Olympic champion in Beijing) and touched in 1:54.96. It was without to count on the South African Darian Townsend, more regular throughout the race, and with the same finishing time. Mellouli and Townsend shared the victory, while Vytautas Janusaitis (LTU) took the bronze in 1:55.48. For the Tunisian, it was his 26th gold of the 2008 World Cup and the fourth triumph in this event (after Durban, Sydney and Moscow).

Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS) got a precious and thrilling victory in the 100m butterfly, beating his rival of this World Cup, Australian Matt Jaukovic. The Russian touched first in 50.22 (the best time of the series so far), while Jaukovic obtained the silver in 50.31. Korotyshkin has now an ‘advantage’ over the Australian in this event, having won three times (Belo Horizonte, Singapore and Stockholm) while Jaukovic was first on two occasions (Sydney and Moscow).

Among women, in the 100m free, Josefin Lillhage, the local star, couldn’t win her sixth gold medal of the circuit, losing to Hanna-Maria Seppala (FIN), who touched first in 52.44, the fastest time in the six meets of the series. Lillhage was second in 52.79, while for the Finnish champion this performance gave her 999 points. Seppala would do much better in the 100m individual medley, with a 59.07 win – 1035 points, the best women’s performance in Stockholm.

Sarah Katsoulis (AUS), the best women’s performer of Day 1 in the 100m breaststroke, won again in the 50m breaststroke, this time with a more ‘modest’ time (30.37, corresponding to 971 points). In the 100m, the Australian had clocked 1:04.84 (1004 points).

In the 200m butterfly, Petra Granlund (SWE, 21 years old) enthralled the spectators at the Eriksdalsbadet complex with a close win in 2:06.44 (the fastest time of the series) – Amy Smith (AUS) was second in 2:06.58. In Stockholm, Granlund appeared in a great shape, winning also the 200m free on Day 1.

Lotte Friis (DEN) comfortably won the 400m free in 4:02.64 (the best time in the six meets of this World Cup), after getting the gold also in the 800m free in the first day of competition in Stockholm.

Overall, out of the 34 events swum in the Swedish capital, 20 of them registered the best times so far in the 2008 World Cup.

Before the last leg of the 2008 World Cup in Berlin on November 15-16 – in the German meet, points will be doubled -, the leaders of the overall ranking are, among men, Cameron van der Burgh with 160 points, followed by Robert Hurley with 83 and Peter Marshall with 73. Burgh’s advantage seems comfortable to assure the overall win of the series and the only hypothetical way for Hurley to still get the US$ 100,000 for the first place is to get the best performance in Berlin and establish two World Records – hoping also than Burgh will not score.

In the women’s field, the fight is more open, with Marieke Guehrer leading with 129 points and Therese Alshammar in second with 105. With this difference, everything is still possible in Berlin for these two swimmers. In the third spot, Katheryn Meaklim (58 points) seems in a more difficult position to get the overall triumph.