Rebecca Meder lowers SA record as Australia dominate world champ golds

Rebecca Meder improved her SA 200m individual medley mark at the world championships in Fukuoka on Sunday, with three world records falling on the opening night. 

Meder was the only South African to advance from the morning heats, clocking 2 min 10.95 sec before slowing to 2:11.16 in the semifinals, which saw three disqualifications.

That time — still the second-fastest of her career — ranked her 10th overall in the evening, but even if she had repeated her morning effort she would not have improved her placing.

Two of the three world records were set by Australians. Ariarne Titmus went 3:55.38 in the women’s 400m freestyle and then their women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team did it with a 3:27.96.

Frenchman Leon Marchand downed the last standing Michael Phelps record, winning the men’s 400m individual medley in 4:02.50.

Australia also took the other two golds on offer on the day.

Veteran Roland Schoeman, who won 50m butterfly gold medals in 2005 and 2007, finished fifth in his morning heat in 24.02.

He was 44th overall, a far cry from his fourth place the last time this Japanese city hosted the showpiece 22 years ago.

Schoeman, with a 22.90 best from 2009, was the first man in history to dip under 23 sec, but in the semifinals on Sunday night the first seven were all under 23, with Frenchman Maxime Grousset setting the pace in 22.72.

US-based Michael Houlie was second in his 100m breaststroke heat, but his 1:01.58 was too slow for the semifinals by more than a second.

Trinity Hearn swam a 1:00.27 personal best in the women’s 100m butterfly heats.

She teamed up with Aimee Canny, Emma Chelius and Milla Drakopoulos in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, ending seventh in 3:45.54.

Breaststroke stars Tatjana Schoenmaker and Lara van Niekerk were set to compete in the 100m breaststroke heats early on Monday morning (SA time).