Ryk Neethling of South Africa won the men’s 100m freestyle and the 100m individual medley to become the only double winner on the opening day on Tuesday at the World Cup short-course swimming meet.
Neethling, a bronze medalist in the 100m and 200m freestyle at the 2005 world championships, took the 100m freestyle in 47,68s. He came back to win the 100m individual medley in 53,35s, well off his world record of 51,52s. He also made the 50m butterfly final, but wound up next to last.
The United States and Japan each won three finals at near sold-out Eriksdalsbadet.
Peter Marshall and Randall Bal gave the Americans a 1-2 finish in the men’s 100m backstroke. Marshall clocked 51,07 — just 0,35s off his world record — and Bal 51,52s.
The other American winners were Rachel Komisarz, who won the women’s 100m butterfly in 58,26s, and Tara Kirk, who took the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:05,53.
Komisarz also made the podium in the 200m freestyle won by Melanie Marshall of Britain in 1:55,43. Komisarz was runner-up with 1:56,37.
Hidemasa Sano picked up Japan’s first win in the 25m pool in the men’s 400m (4:06,98). Other Japanese winners were Ai Shibata in the women’s 800m freestyle (8:22,38) and Hanae Ito in the women’s 200m backstroke (2:07,94).
World record-holder Therese Alshammar of Sweden delighted her hometown fans by winning the 50m freestyle in 24,47 for her sixth victory in as many World Cup meets in the Swedish capital.
The meet is the fourth on the World Cup tour. Remaining meets are in Berlin, Moscow, New York and Belo Horizonte. – Sapa-AP