SWIMMING: Two years on from winning his maiden world championship title, James Magnussen has won the Australian Swim Team’s second gold medal of the 2013 FINA World Championships taking out the men’s 100m freestyle.
SWIMMING: Two years on from winning his maiden world championship title, James Magnussen has won the Australian Swim Team’s second gold medal of the 2013 FINA World Championships taking out the men’s 100m freestyle.
A gold medallist in the event in Shanghai in 2011 and then silver medallist at the Olympics last year, the 22-year-old returned to the top of the podium by just getting in and winning the race, stopping the clock in 47.71 ahead of US pair James Feigen (47.82) and Olympic champion Nathan Adrian in 47.82.
A former world junior gold medallist in the event, Australia’s Cameron McEvoy finished fourth in his first individual 100m freestyle at a major competition, swimming a personal best time of 47.88, just 0.04 away from bronze.
Swimming from lane six and turning fifth at the 50m mark, Magnussen came home in 24.91 and described the feeling at the wall as one of pure relief.
Australia’s overall medal haul increased to eight (two gold, six silver) at the Palau Sant Jordi with the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team of Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer, Brittany Elmslie and Alicia Coutts winning silver in a time of 7:47.08.
Going in with a lead of more than a second at the 600m mark, Alicia Coutts had to race the USA’s multiple gold medallist Missy Franklin over the final leg and fought all the way to win her fourth silver medal of the meet.
In the other final of the night featuring an Australian, Olympian Daniel Tranter finished sixth in the men’s 200m IM in a new personal best time of 1:57.88, similar to the time he swam at the Australian Championships in April.
In semi-final action, Cate Campbell was the second fastest through to final of the women’s 100m freestyle in a time of 53.09 behind Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden (52.87) while younger sister Bronte Campbell finished in 11th in 54.46.
In the women’s 200m breaststroke, South Australian Sally Foster progressed through to the final as the sixth fastest in a strong 2:24.14, and will have to catch Rikke Pedersen from Denmark who set a new world record of 2:19.11 in the semi-final.
Victorian Matson Lawson finished tenth overall in the men’s 200m backstroke in 1:57.55.
2013 FINA World Championships – Australian Swim Team – Medallists
Two Gold, Five Silver (Oly Events). Eight Medals in Total
Gold – Christian Sprenger – 100m Breaststroke
Gold – James Magnussen – 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
