MADRID, 12 May 2004 — Double Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband made a brisk start to his 100 meters freestyle title defense in the open-air pool on a cold and rainy morning at the European swimming championships yesterday. The 26-year-old Dutchman, who won the 100 and 200 freestyle at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, shrugged off the poolside chill and clocked the fastest heat time of 49.47 seconds to lead the qualifiers for the evening’s semifinals.
As fellow swimmers and spectators huddled in the banked stands in thick coats and waterproofs, the warmest place was in the water.
Switzerland’s Karel Novy and Russia’s Andrei Kapralov both clocked 49.80 in the penultimate heat in the second-fastest overall time.
Malia Metella, who anchored France to victory in Monday’s 4x100 meters freestyle relay, led semifinal qualifiers in the women’s 100 freestyle with the fastest heat time of 55.63 as she began her bid to add the long-course title to the European short-course crown she won in Dublin last December.
World champion Hanna-Maria Seppala of Finland settled for ninth among the 16 qualifiers, finishing fourth in the last heat which was won by 2002 silver medalist Martina Moravcova of Slovakia, in 56.16.
Italy’s Federica Pellegrini was second fastest on aggregate in 55.75. Franziska van Almsick, winner in Berlin in 2002, is among the German swimmers who have skipped these championships to concentrate on preparations for the Olympics for which the national trials will be held in early June.
Austria’s Markus Rogan, European 200 meters backstroke champion in 2002, showed his versatility by posting the fastest heat time in the men’s 200 individual medley of two minutes 2.55 seconds.
Defending European champion Jani Sievinen of Finland finished second behind Rogan in the fourth-fastest aggregate time of 2:03.51.
Olympic champion Massimiliano Rosolino of Italy, fifth in Monday’s 400 freestyle, did not extend himself and qualified 10th on aggregate in 2:04.41.
