SWIMMING: Dual Olympian Cate Campbell has won Australia’s third gold medal of the 2013 FINA World Championships
SWIMMING: Dual Olympian Cate Campbell has won Australia’s third gold medal of the 2013 FINA World Championships with Australia now boasting both the men’s and women’s 100m freestyle world champions.
Not since the 1960 Olympics in Rome has Australia held both men’s and women’s freestyle crowns and for 21-year-old Campbell the win was all the more sweeter following the disappointment of missing out in London due to illness.
A relay gold medallist last year on the opening night of the Games, Campbell contracted pancreatitis during the meet and was unable to swim the individual 100m freestyle, having to wait 12 months for her chance to shine on the world stage.
“It’s been a big night and it’s only just begun I guess. I don’t think it really sunk in until I got out of the pool and I could hear all of the Aussies in the crowd chanting,” said Campbell.
“It’s my friends, and family, and coach who have got me this far and it’s them I’ll be thinking of while I’m singing my national anthem.”
Hitting the wall in an impressive 52.34, a shade off her Commonwealth record from earlier in the week, Campbell led the field out at the 50m (24.85) and never looked back, finishing half a body length ahead of Swede Sarah Sjostrom (52.89).
In the other final of the night featuring an Australian, South Australian Sally Foster swam close to a personal best time of 2:24.01 in the women’s 200m breaststroke to finish seventh overall, with Russian
Yuliya Efimova winning in 2:19.41.
A silver medallist in Shanghai, Belinda Hocking will be well and truly in the mix in tomorrow night’s final of the 200m backstroke after qualifying fourth in a time of 2:08.49. The Victorian was second in her
heat and swam a controlled race to secure a middle lane for the decider, while Meagen Nay from St Peters Western finished 15th overall in 2:11.72.
In the men’s 50m freestyle semi-finals James Magnussen and Matt Abood narrowly missed out on a place in tomorrow night’s final with Magnussen finishing ninth and Abood 11th. Hitting the wall in 21.79, Magnussen was just 0.05 of a second off a final swim, while Abood finished in 21.91.
Olympic relay gold medallist Brittany Elmslie was also just outside the qualifying time for a final swim, finishing ninth in the 50m fly in a time of 26.13. Baking up from a PB this morning, the 19-year missed
the top eight by just 0.02 of a second.
2013 FINA World Championships – Australian Swim Team – Medallists
Three Gold, Six Silver – Nine Medals in Total (8 for Olympic events)
Gold – Christian Sprenger – 100m Breaststroke
Gold – James Magnussen – 100m Freestyle
Gold – Cate Campbell – 100m Freestyle
Silver – Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon, Alicia Coutts – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Silver – Alicia Coutts – 100m Butterfly
Silver – Alicia Coutts – 200m Individual Medley
Silver – Emily Seebohm – 100m Backstroke
Silver – Christian Sprenger – 50m Breaststroke (non-Olympic)
Silver – Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer, Brittany
Elmslie, Alicia Coutts – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Swimming Australia
