Kate Ziegler defeats Kathryn Hoff in the 400m freestyle at the 2011 Eric Namesnik Grand Prix
Kate Ziegler wins the Women’s 400m freestyle from the defending champion Kathryn Hoff on the second day of 2011 Eric Namesnik Grand Prix in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The competition is the third last stop of the 2011 USA Grand Prix Series where the world’s renowned
swimmers compete with each other.
Hoff is the silver medallist for the 400m freestyle and the bronze medallist for the 400m Individual Medley at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She is also the gold medallist for the same event at the 2010 World Short Course Championship in Dubai during December.
Ziegler is the gold medallist for the 800m and 1500m freestyle at numerous World Championships.
Fast ST-CA’s Hoff despite being the fastest qualifying swimmer into the finals, lost the event with her timing of 4:08.23 minutes as compared to Ziegler’s 4:07.78 minutes. Whereas, the third spot on the podium was secured by Gator Swim Club’s Andreina Pinto,
who clocked a time of 4:15.81 minutes for the bronze medal.
Hoff’s unmatched quick start coupled with her aggressive stroke, accompanied her with a lead of 0.54 seconds in the first lap. Kathryn completed the initial lap in 29.11 seconds as compared to Ziegler, who clocked 29.65 seconds. Hoff maintained her lead
throughout the second lap, where she displayed a 31.30 seconds sprint to post 1:00.41 minutes for the first 100 metres while Ziegler completed the second lap in 31.31 seconds to post 1:00.96 minutes.
Both of them were in a clear lead from the following swimmers and remained in a neck-to-neck race with each other. Hoff displayed a 31.77 effort for the third lap to post 1:32.18 minutes on the board against Ziegler’s comparatively 32.16 seconds slower swim
of 1:33.12 minutes. Hoff continued her dominating performance in the fourth lap, where she presented a quicker sprint than her last lap, producing a time of 31.57 seconds to post 2:03.75 minutes as compared to Ziegler’s 31.62 efforts that accounted for 2:04.74
minutes
Hoff’s beautiful stroke coupled with her powerful turns enabled her to maintain the same during the fifth lap, but her sluggish swim in the sixth lap dropped her lead and she posted a time of 3:06.50 minutes against Ziegler’s 3:06.94 efforts.
Kathryn sustained her speed in the seventh lap, touching the wall in a time of 31.10 seconds against Ziegler’s 31.22 seconds. At last, Hoff failed to maintain her strength during the last lap of the race while Ziegler demonstrated her fastest sprint, clocking
a time of 29.62 seconds that moved her towards the victory.
The arena was stunned with the astounding swim of Ziegler, who defeated the 400m specialist. These winners will once again meet each other at the next stop of the USA Grand Prix Series at Charlotte next month.
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