Steenbergen Slipstreams Up To Sjostrom With All-Time No2 51.86 Dutch Delight
Just two days after Anna Moesch rocketed to a 51.94 Americas records to become the 2nd fastest ever over 100m free, she's now 3rd in the ranks, the Dutch reigning World champion shuffling the best-ever Top 10 yet again to bring Day 1 at the Canet round of the Mare Nostrum to a sizzling close
World 100m free champion Marrit Steenbergen became the fourth woman ever to race inside 52sec over 100m freestyle - and the second of those in the past 48 hours - when she sprinters to a 51.86 victory in the opening session of finals at the Canet round of the Mare Nostrum Tour in France.
Coached by Patrick Pearson, Steenbergen, queen of the 100m at World titles in 2024 and 2025, is now the closest anyone has ever come to Swedish superstar and double Olympic sprint-free champion of Paris 2024 Sarah Sjöström and her 2017 World record of 51.71.
What's more, Steenbergen is the second person to do that in just two days: at the AP Race London International, Anna Moesch, of the USA, sailed over the 52sec zone to take her personal best down from a 53-plus to 51.94, an Americas record and the first sub-52 by a swimmer on her continent:
Craig Lord
The second woman ever to break 52 was Emma McKeon, the previous 50-100 double Olympic champion, at Tokyo2020ne, where the Australia claimed a record seven-medal haul.
Steenbergen had warmed up on the tour with a Dutch record of 52.13 in Monte Carlo last weekend.
In Canet her splits were 24.91 out, 26.95 home, which compare to the balance of these other top performances, which highlight Sjöström as the only swimmer who has ever swum faster than both of Steenbergen's splits, there and back.
24.83 - 26.88 - 51.71 Sarah Sjöström (SWE) Budapest - 23/07/2017
25.18 - 26.76 - 51.94 Anna Moesch (USA) London - 25/05/2026
24.81 - 27.17 - 52.04 Simone Manuel (USA) Gwangju - 26/07/2019
25.46 - 26.61 - 52.07 Britta Steffen (GER) - Rome 31/07/2009
24.98 - 27.08 - 52.06 Cate Campbell (AUS)- Brisbane 02/07/2016
25.51 - 26.62 - 52.13 Marrit Steenbergen (NED) - Monte Carlo 23/05/2026
All or which, shuffled the All-Time Top 10 like this:
In other finals topped by swims that scored more than 900 points:
Women's 50m backstroke
Women's 200m medley
Women's 800m freestyle
Men's 400m freestyle
Men's 50m butterfly
Women's 100m breaststroke
Men's 50m backstroke
