Gold medalist Australia’s Cate Campbell poses on the podium with her medal during the award ceremony of the women’s 100m freestyle swimming event in the FINA World Championships at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, yesterday. RIGHT: Ryan Lochte of the USA presents his gold medal after the men’s 200m backstroke final.
BARCELONA, Catalonia: Australia’s Cate Campbell won the women’s 100m freestyle gold at the swimming world championships yesterday as US star Missy Franklin missed out on claiming a fifth medal in Barcelona.
The 21-year-old Campbell earned her first major title when she clocked 52.34sec with Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, the 100m butterfly world champion, at 0.55 back and Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo of Holland adrift at 1.08.
Having missed the event at the London Olympics after suffering from gastroenteritis during London 2012, Campbell burst into tears as she climbed out of the Palau Sant Jordi pool.
“It didn’t really sink in until I got out and heard all the Aussies screaming,” said Campbell, who held a clear lead before fading in the last ten metres.
“I think if the race had lasted 110 metres, I wouldn’t have got it.”
After James Magnussen defended his men’s 100m freestyle world title on Thursday, Campbell’s victory underlines Australia’s prowess in the event.
Having already collected four golds in Barcelona, Franklin missed out as she finished fourth at 1.13 back, while Germany’s Britta Steffen, whose 2009 world record was under threat from Campbell until the dying stages, finished sixth.
“Of all my events, the 100m freestyle is the one I have worked most on,” said Franklin.
“I was fifth in the London final (at the 2012 Olympics) and fourth tonight, so I am getting there.” Franklin had no time to dwell on her defeat.
Just 15 minutes after the freestyle final, the 18-year-old was back in the water as the fastest qualifier into today’s 100m backstroke final.
American Ryan Lochte won the third 200 metres backstroke gold of his career.
The decorated 28-year-old clocked a time of one minute 53.79 seconds, with Radoslaw Kawecki of Poland taking silver in 1:54.24 and Lochte’s compatriot, Olympic champion Tyler Clary, bronze in 1:54.64.
Lochte, who won 200 metres individual medley gold on Thursday, is only the second man to win three 200 backstroke titles after compatriot and world record holder Aaron Peirsol, who won four in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2009.
Lochte was champion in 2007 and at the last world championships in Shanghai two years ago.
Russia’s Yuliya Efimova won the women’s 200m breaststroke gold with Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen, the world-record holder, second and Micah Lawrence of the USA third.
Just 24 hours after Pedersen set the world record, Efimova won the final, clocking 2min 19.41sec with her Danish rival at 0.67 back and Lawrence at 2.96 adrift.
Daniel Gyurta of Hungary became the first man to win three 200 metres breaststroke world titles when he claimed a third consecutive gold.
Gyurta clocked two minutes 07.23 seconds, beating the previous record of 2:07.31 set by Australian Christian Sprenger in 2009.
Germany’s Marco Koch won silver in 2:08.54 and Matti Mattsson of Finland bronze in 2:08.95. Gyurta, 24, also took gold at last year’s London Olympics.
The USA won the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay with Russia taking silver and China claiming bronze.
the USA quartet clocked 7min 01.72sec with Russia at 2.20 back and China, anchored by long-distance specialist Sun Yang, at 3.02 adrift. AGENCIES
