Swimmers gear up for Moscow meet

The first installment of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2009 featured four world records. With the series continuing this weekend in Moscow, will the times continue to fall?

Americans Jessica Hardy and Peter Marshall, who set new standards in the 50m breaststroke and 50m backstroke, respectively, in Durban on Oct. 17, return to the pool on Friday. Whitney Myers, who tallied two victories on the first day of swimming in Durban, completes the U.S. contingent competing in the Russian capital for the two-day meet.

Most of the heavyweights of the swimming world won't be around until next week in Stockholm and Berlin -- Michael Phelps is on the docket, which always brings more attention to any meet -- but there is no shortage of talent in the short-course pool this weekend.

Among the top competitors is Australian Leisel Jones, the women's 100m breaststroke champion at the Beijing Olympics. She took a break from the water following the Games, even forgoing this year's world championships in Rome.

The 24-year-old has said that she would like to compete in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India and also the 2012 Olympics in London, so it appears she is now starting her run toward both meets.

"Despite having a break from major international competition, she hasn't really stopped training and has been in a maintenance stage for some time now," Jones' coach Rohan Taylor said in a statement on Thursday, as reported by Reuters.

There is no way to predict how Jones will swim this weekend after her extended hiatus from racing, but she'll certainly be a threat in the breaststroke events.

Also swimming in Moscow will be Sweden's Therese Alshammar, who downed a pair of world records in Durban in the 100m intermediate medley (preliminaries) and the 50m butterfly. Alshammar, who turned 32 in August, has competed in four Olympics dating back to the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Her Olympic medal haul of two silvers and a bronze -- all from Sydney in 2000 -- is the highlight of her 50-meter career, but she has excelled over the years in short-course competitions.

Alshammar's short course world championships record includes nine gold medals. She also set world record in the 50m butterfly at the 2009 World Championships, a long-course event.

"I had a great year in the pool last year and then I trained for six months in Sydney," Alshammar told Reuters after her performance in Durban. "It was a great experience and I learned not to expect too much too soon and when things happen for you it makes it all the more special.

"I hope for more world records, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here."

Fellow Swede Stefan Nystrand is another short-course swimmer who has found his niche in the 25-meter pool. He was on the winning 4x100m freestyle team at the 2000 Short Course Worlds, and has 11 European Short Course Championships titles.

The Americans and Swedes will be challenged in the medal table by the group of swimmers from South Africa, including 2008 FINA/ARENA World Cup men's champion Cameron Van der Burgh. Darian Townsend, who recently won four races (one was a national record) at the Finnish Open Grand Prix for UNICEF, will also be in Moscow.

The South African women will be led by Kathryn Meaklim, who finished third in the overall women's standings last year, and Amanda Loots, who took second in the 200m backstroke at the Durban meet.

Other notable names on the sheet include George du Rand (South Africa), Chad le Clos (South Africa), Felicity Galvez (Australia), Sarah Sjostrom (Sweden) and Canadian Brent Hayden, who beat Phelps in the 100m freestyle at the Santa Clara Grand Prix in June.