South African Cameron Van Der Burgh and the United States of America’s Jessica Hardy were tonight crowned the 2009 FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup champions.

The elated athletes were presented with winners’ cheques of $US100,000 at the Singapore Sport School immediately following the fifth and final series meet in Singapore.

There were pretenders to the thrones but Van Der Burgh and Hardy withstood stiff challenges in the final meet by virtually wrapping up the titles from previous events.

Sweden’s Therese Alshammar (32) had the best shot at upstaging Hardy but, even though she smashed a world record in the final event — the 50m Butterfly — and replace Hardy at the top of the points table in Singapore, it was not enough.
Hardy finished second with her classy 50m Breaststroke victory, giving her second place and with it 20 points, doubled to 40 because of the last meet, for a final tally of 210 points.

Alshammar gained 50 points for winning the meet and 20 points for her world record to give her 70 to add to the 130 she brought into the meet — 10 shy of that needed to equal Hardy.

Alshammar knew the odds. She withdrew from the 100m IM final after qualifying tops because there was only a short break between races. Instead she preferred to shoot for the record, which she said she knew she had an excellent chance of gaining.

Singapore based Yonex-Sunrise, commercial rights holders of badminton’s richest tournament; the Yonex-Sunrise Super Series Finals have exclusively appointed IEC in Sports to handle worldwide broadcast distribution for the tournament in 2009.

Singapore based Yonex-Sunrise, commercial rights holders of badminton’s richest tournament; the Yonex-Sunrise Super Series Finals have exclusively appointed IEC in Sports to handle worldwide broadcast distribution for the tournament in 2009.

IEC in Sports, the Lagardère-owned sports marketing agency, which was awarded the exclusive media rights in Europe and certain African territories to the IAAF World Athletics Series, today announced its intention to launch a tender process for the media rights in the Nordic Countries, namely Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, and in selected Central- and Eastern European Countries, namely Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.

Following on from the great success gained from the previous event in 2005, IEC in Sports, the Swedish based, Lagardère owned media rights specialist, has again exceeded expectations by guaranteeing an unprecedented level of coverage for the 2009 edition of the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup. 

It wasn’t the way the week, and such a potentially great final, was supposed to end, but Aravane Rezai became the first winner of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions when Marion Bartoli retired after losing the opening set 7-5.

The match, the first all-French final since Amelie Mauresmo defeated Mary Pierce for the Paris Indoors title in February 2006, had been shaping up beautifully as both players came out firing and engaged in a succession of furiously-contested rallies. Both pounded their groundstrokes, made great returns and ran each other around the court as they sought an advantage.

The first four games went with serve, before Bartoli broke to lead 3-2 after a strong service return from her led to Rezai netting a forehand. Bartoli then survived two break points in the next game as Rezai netted a pair of forehands, and then she held a set point at 5-3 when Rezai double-faulted.

But she made a poor return and Rezai went on to hold for 5-4. Then Bartoli missed another opportunity when she failed to serve out the set, netting a backhand on break point. Yet another chance went begging at 5-5 when Bartoli was unable to convert a break point as Rezai sent a terrific backhand winner down the line.

Leading 6-5, Rezai then went up 40-15 on Bartoli’s serve when she won a typically long and hard-fought rally, but Bartoli then limped to her chair and called for the trainer. Obviously in great pain, she received treatment to her left leg, had it taped, and tried to continue the match. But it was hopeless, and after double-faulting to lose the set she retired with a left quad strain.

"It’s a big surprise to finish like that and I’m very sorry for her," said Rezai, who added $200,000 to her bank account. "She looks like she hurt a lot and I hope it is not a big injury.

"It was a good quality. It was a big level. We fight and it was pretty nice for the people watching. We are professionals and try to win the title, and that’s why it was a nice match. Winning here means so many things for myself. I proved to myself I can be at a much better ranking and much better player on the tour, and also prove to so many people, my family, my parents, my coach, that I can do better and better."

Bartoli was obviously bitterly disappointed.

"I started to feel my leg was pretty tight in the middle of the set," she said. "I started to feel some pain all over my quads and I thought maybe it was the stress and no reason to be serious. But then it hurt me a lot, especially each time I had to push and put some weight onto my left leg it was really getting worse and worse and at the end I couldn’t continue.

"It was a good match and I’m very sad to finish like this. The last thing you want to do is injury yourself in the last match of the season. But what can you do? I was trying my best and perhaps it was just too much."

Marieke Guehrer (AUS) and Evelyn Verraszto (HUN) were the “most valuable swimmers” in the initial day of the second leg of the 2009 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup in Moscow (RUS), after improving the World Records in the women’s 50m backstroke and 200m individual medley, respectively.

The Australian star – overall winner of the series in 2008 – finished the race in 26.17, bettering the mark (26.23) set by Sanja Jovanovic (CRO) in December 2008.

As for the Hungarian revelation, she clocked 2:06.01, faster than the previous record (2:06.13) achieved by Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) in April 2008. Her time was the best in the World Cup competition as well since 2003, when Yana Klochkova (UKR) swam this distance in Berlin (2:08.44).

Three more World Records were established in the last day of the second leg of the 2009 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup, held in Moscow (RUS). Among men, Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS) set a new global mark in the 100m butterfly, clocking 48.99 and improving the previous record set in March 2004 by US Ian Crocker (49.07). “We were focused on this distance with my coach and worked on it since September. When I won my first gold at European Championships in Eindhoven, I was sure that it would be impossible to be happier. Now I know that it is possible. I live and swim in Italy and I know now the key for the success: good climate and good food”, confessed Korotyshkin, who established the first WR of his career.

George Du Rand (RSA) was the other hero of the session, with a new WR in the 200m backstroke – 1:47.08, faster than the time established by Markus Rogan (AUT) in April 2008 (1:47.84), at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Manchester (GBR). “I’m surprised, - said Du Rand – We worked hard but I never expected this work to be so fruitful. This year has been very successful for me and I hope that the next will be the same.”