Dutch Qualifiers: Van Westering sets Dutch short-course 200m backstroke record
Maaike de Waard won twice as Dutch swimmers met time standards for potential places at December’s short-course world championships in Beijing.
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Maaike de Waard won twice as Dutch swimmers met time standards for potential places at December’s short-course world championships in Beijing.
Kai van Westering won the men’s 200m backstroke in a Dutch record of 1:51.59 on 22 October, the opening day of the Dutch Qualifiers in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Sean Niewold added another national record on 24 October, swimming 46.36 in the men’s 100m freestyle and beating the World Championships selection standard.
The competition uses a 25-metre pool, known as short-course swimming. In its 23 October account, SwimSwam said swimmers were seeking potential roster places for December’s Short Course World Championships in Beijing.
Van Westering, 23, replaced Nick Driebergen’s national record of 1:53.08 from the 2010 Dutch Championships. He cut more than three seconds from his previous best of 1:54.85 and beat the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation’s qualifying standard of 1:52.11.
Niewold, 24, set his record in the B-final, the secondary final. His 46.36 lowered Stan Pijnenburg’s 46.38 from the 2021 European Championships by 0.02 seconds. He also improved his own best by 0.36 seconds, from the 46.72 he swam at the Swimming World Cup in Astana in October.
| Swimmer | First 50m | Second 50m |
|---|
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| Sean Niewold — new record | 22.14 | 24.22 | 46.36 |
| Stan Pijnenburg — previous record | 22.38 | 24.00 | 46.38 |
Niewold’s faster opening half offset a slower second half than Pijnenburg’s. He was the only swimmer in the event to beat the Beijing selection standard of 46.89. Brandon van den Berg won the A-final in 47.17, the next-fastest time across the finals.
Tessa Giele and Noah Verreth also set meet records while beating the federation’s selection standards. Imani de Jong added a qualifying victory in the 200m freestyle, improving her previous best of 1:55.55 from the 2025 European Short Course Championships.
| Swimmer | Event | Time | Result and selection standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tessa Giele | Women’s 100m individual medley | 59.01 | First; meet record; below 59.65 |
| Noah Verreth | Men’s 50m backstroke | 23.29 | First; meet record; below 23.37 |
| Imani de Jong | Women’s 200m freestyle | 1:53.81 | First; personal best; qualifying performance |
Kim Busch finished second to Giele in 59.82, also under one minute but outside the qualifying standard. Verreth was the only man to beat the 50m backstroke standard; van Westering finished second in 23.98.
| Swimmer | Event | Winning time |
|---|---|---|
| Tatjana Smith | Women’s 200m breaststroke | 2:19.96 |
| Eszter Szabo Feltothy | Women’s 400m individual medley | 4:36.66 |
Smith, a visiting Olympic champion returning from retirement, won by more than seven seconds. Hungarian swimmer Szabo Feltothy also took gold as a visiting competitor.
On 22 October, Maaike de Waard won the women’s 50m butterfly and 100m backstroke, meeting the World Championships time standard in both. Her butterfly swim set a meet record, while her 57.24 in the backstroke secured victory by more than two seconds.
| Swimmer | Event | Time | Qualifying standard | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maaike de Waard | Women’s 50m butterfly | 24.93 | 25.72 | First; meet record |
| Kim Busch | Women’s 50m butterfly | 25.40 | 25.72 | Second |
| Jinth Engelse | Women’s 50m butterfly | 25.71 | 25.72 | Third; Dutch youth record |
| Sean Niewold | Men’s 100m individual medley | 52.84 | 52.98 | Second |
| Imani de Jong | Women’s 400m freestyle | 4:01.51 | 4:06.27 | Meet record |
Engelse, 18, improved her previous best of 26.08, set in October, as all three women on the butterfly podium beat the standard. In the individual medley, which combines all four swimming strokes in one race, Niewold finished behind Canada’s Javier Acevedo, who won in 52.79.
The Dutch Qualifiers were scheduled for 22–25 October. Meeting a time standard is a qualifying performance, not confirmation of a final team place; the swimmers are seeking selection for December’s Short Course World Championships in Beijing.
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