March 20, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 11, 1429

EINDHOVEN (Netherlands), March 19: The Dutch hosts smashed the women’s 4x100 metres freestyle relay world record to provide a rousing start to the main pool action at the European swimming championships on Tuesday.

Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis hurtled through the entire race inside world record pace to clock three minutes 33.62 seconds.

They broke the mark of 3:35.22 set by Germany’s Petra Dallmann, Daniela Samulski, Britta Steffen and Annika Liebs at the last European championships in Budapest on July 31, 2006. Italy were second, way back in 3:41.06, with Sweden third (3:41.28).

The Dutch inroads on the world record had narrowed to 0.06 seconds when Veldhuis took over on the anchor leg but it had widened to 1.24 seconds at the 50-metre turn.

The Dutch crowd went wild as she hit the wall to her own disbelief 1.60 seconds inside what seemed at the time a phenomenal German world record.

Veldhuis’s 52.62 beat Steffen’s fastest-ever relay split.

RUSSIA DISQUALIFIED: Russia lost the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay gold when they were disqualified for a faulty takeover by third swimmer Andrei Kapralov after touching first by 1.20 seconds.—Reuters