Ironworks Gaming Forum - Remember Inge de Bruijn

She was the 100m swimming world record holder. A few minutes ago she lost her record to an Aussie girsl swimming in a semi-final. Another Aussie girl matched de Bruin's old world record in the other semi-final. Looks really good for the relays and some individual events. Our girls haven't been on the pace in the sprint events for s few years now, but they could be bigger stars than Thorpey and Hackett at the next Olympics :D .

Quote:

Lenton smashes world 100m freestyle mark

Libby Lenton produced another "Oops" moment for Australian swimming at the Olympic trials - shattering the world 100m freestyle record.

The diminutive Lenton shocked even herself, powering to the wall in 53.66s in a semi-final and drowning Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn's former mark set in the same pool almost four years ago.

Lenton's performance hacked 0.11s off the towering Dutch woman's time of 53.77s set at the Sydney Olympics.

Ian Thorpe, who later ended his program with a win in the 100m freestyle, probably breathed a sigh of relief following Lenton's world record.

Before the 19-year-old's world record, the talk of the pool had been dominated by Thorpe's own "Oops" moment at the trials - his controversial false start in the 400m freestyle.

But Lenton got the Thorpedo talking about something else.

"I went and congratulated Libby," Thorpe said after beating Ashley Callus for the 100m gold.

"That is a pretty hot swim. I can remember when the world record was broken and that was mad.

"Australian female sprinters have been criticised for quite some time so for an Australian to have a world record in that event is a huge achievement."

Lenton becomes the first Australian woman to hold the world record in the event since Shane Gould in 1972.

Minutes after Lenton's swim, world championship silver medallist Jodie Henry equalled de Bruijn's former world mark in the second semi-final.

Lenton held both hands over her face in shock after the race as her mother, Marilyn, watched in the stands.

"I want to thank ... mostly my Mum. She's just done everything for me," said Lenton, whose Mum brought up four children as a lone parent.

But Lenton will have to wait until Thursday night to cement her place on her first Olympic team.

Regardless of her world record, she must finish in the top two in the final to win an individual swim at the Athens Games.

Asked her reaction about seeing a world record time beside her name, Lenton said: "It was complete and utter disbelief.

"I knew I felt good but I did not realise I felt that good."

Lenton, who weighs just 60kg, only stepped onto the world swimming stage seven months ago at the Barcelona world championships.

She won bronze in the 50m freestyle in Spain behind de Bruijn and fellow Brisbane swimmer Alice Mills.

Lenton was fifth in the 100m freestyle in Barcelona but looks set to go into the Athens Olympics as a gold medal contender.

Australia's last women's Olympic 100m freestyle gold medallist was Dawn Fraser at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Fraser was poolside watching tonight's race.

"It's just fantastic," she said.

"It was a great thrill. I found myself standing and clapping because I thought she was going to break the world record."

The woman considered Australia's greatest Olympian after winning three consecutive Olympic 100m freestyle titles between 1956 and 1964 predicted Lenton could smash the world record again on Thursday.

"She looked like she could have turned around and gone another 10 metres which means she has something up her sleeve," Fraser said.

"It should be a great final."

[ 03-31-2004, 06:39 AM: Message edited by: Davros ]