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Ruta Rumbles Into Freestyle & IM Folds

Dec 13, 2012  - Craig Lord

Istanbul, World Short-Course Championships, day 2 heats

Morning action at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Turkey.

Women's 100m freestyle

Marieke Guehrer (AUS) led the way into semis on 53.26 in the last of 11 heats. Closest to her are Tang Yi (CHN), 53.32, Jessica Hardy (USA), 53.42, that time shared by former Olympic champion and current world long-course record holder Britta Steffen (GER), and the surprise package, Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), on 53.54. The cut for the semis: 54.27.

Meilutyte, based at Plymouth Leander and College in England, clocked 54.54 at the Stockholm round of the World Cup this year and has a long-course best of 55.26 from the London 2012 test event back in March.

Men's 400m medley 

Knowing that Lazslo Cseh (HUN) had gone 4:04.61 in the penultimate heat, 18-year-old Daiya Seto (JPN) took lane 4 for the final in the last of five heats, on 4:04.28. Gal Nevo (ISR), 4:05.99, and david Verraszto (HUN), 4:06.64, are in the mix. The other qualifiers: Diogo Carvalho (POR), Kosuke Hagino (JPN), Chris Christensen (DEN) and closing the door to the final, Michael Weiss (USA), on 4:08.46.

Women's 50m butterfly

In the last off nine heats, Naoemie Thomas, a 16-year-old Canadian ­clocked 25.76 ahead of American Christine Magnuson (USA), on 25.83, those the best two times of the morning. Lu Ying (CHN) was the only other sub-26 swimmer on the way to semis, on 25.87. The cut: 26.54.

Men's 50m freestyle 

The morning after a sizzling 45.52 lead-off championship record at the helm of the Russian 4x100m free quartet last night, Vladimir Morozov gave Olympic champion Florent Manaudou an early warning with a 20.98 blast in the penultimate heat of 17 line-ups. Manaudou replied with a 21.06. The cut off for semis 21.98.

Women's 100m medley

Sophie Allen (GBR) led the way to the semis in 59.20, with Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), Olympic 100m breaststroke champion and already through to the 100m free semis this morning, on 59.33, followed by world cup queen Katinka Hosszu (HUN), on 59.37. two more made it below the minute this morning, the cut for the top 16 at 1:01.37.

Men's 4x200m freestyle

After Germany led heat 1 in 6:58.67, with Russia on 6:59.73, Australia took the second semi in 7:01.77, USA 0.01sec away. The cut for the final: 7:07.40, for Brazil, with Olympic bronze medallists China (with a different quartet, including Sun Yang) locked out in 9th.

Women's 800m freestyle

With the fastest of the declared-winner heats to come this evening, China's Xu Danlu, with no entry time to place her in a better line-up, clocked 8:22.88 in the first heat, the third heat producing a lead time of 8:28.09 from Marie Kamimura (JPN).