Katharina Schiller wins Women’s 400m IM - 2011 German World Championships Selection Trial
Katharina Schiller has won the Women’s 400m Individual Medley (IM) on the third day of the 2011
German World Championships Selection Trial.
The German Long Course Selection Trials is an attempt to finalise their national swimming team to participate at the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, during July.
Schiller of VfL Waiblingen dominated the finals of the Women’s 400m IM to confirm her spot in the German team to Shanghai. The 26-year-old Schiller won the gold medal in an astounding time of 4:46.08 minutes, staying almost four seconds ahead of the second
finisher. Nina Schiffer of SG Dortmund secured the silver medal, touching the wall in 4:50.54 minutes.
The 19-year-old Schiffer was 1.06 seconds ahead of her following swimmer, SV Halle’s Theresa Michalak, who occupied the podium for the bronze medal, with a timing of 4:51.60 minutes. The 14-year-old Kathrin Demler of SG Essen followed Theresa on the finishing
wall and finished fourth in a time of 4:52.03 minutes.
Schiller’s timing was almost seventeen seconds away from Stephanie Rice’s world record of 4:29.45 minutes. Her golden effort was nearly sixteen seconds away from the European mark of 4:30.31 minutes, made by Katinka Hosszu at the 2009 Rome World Championships.
She was 10.02 seconds slower than her national mark of 4:36.10 minutes, owned by Petra Schneider of SC Karl-Marx-Stadt.
The national champion was evident for the gold medal in the first round, as she completed her butterfly swim in the fastest time of 1:03.62 minutes. Schiffer and Michalak followed her on the finishing wall, completing their butterfly swims in 1:04.91 and
1:05.01 minutes, respectively.
The 26-year-old swimmer expanded her lead to almost two seconds in the next round, finishing her back-stroke swim in 2:17.29 minutes. Moment later, Schiller added another second to her lead in the 100m breast-stroke swim, producing a time of 3:40.58 minutes.
Her fastest freestyle kick extended her lead to almost four seconds and paved her way for the gold medal.
The championships will continue for four more days, to identify the German team to compete at the Shanghai Aquatic Centre, in July.
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