Doha: It’s almost time! More than 1,100 athletes from 171 countries begin their battle in the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) at the Hamad Aquatic Centre here from Wednesday.
Millions of people around the world are expected to tune in to see the biggest names in swimming, including 11-time Olympic medallist Ryan Lochte of America, fight for pool supremacy.
With seven individual Olympic medals, Lochte is the current world-record holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m individual medleys (short course).
At the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, he was the man of the hour with eight medals. There’s a strong chance he may repeat those achievements as he is expected to race in six individual events (200m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 50m and 100m butterfly, 100m and 200m IM).
With the likes of Olympic champions Breeja Larson and Conor Dwyer joining Lochte in Team USA, the Americans will be looking to top the medal table at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) for the fourth championships running.
The USA will surely have some stiff competition for the top spot from Hungary, who have confirmed that their leading duo, Katinka Hosszu and Daniel Gyurta, will compete in Doha.
Hosszu broke three world records at the Doha leg of the FINA/MASTBANK Swimming World Cup 2014 in August, amassing an astonishing 69 medals, 52 of them gold, through this year.
She finished atop the points table overall with Gyurta finishing second overall in the men’s competition. With five-time Olympic medallist Laszlo Cseh also competing for Hungary, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Joining the Hungarians in the spotlight in the men’s competition will be South Africa’s Chad Le Clos and Cameron Van Der Burgh.
Le Clos started his 2014 short-course season in Doha with three golds at the first meet of the World Cup and went on to win the overall title of the series.
Reigning short-course world and Olympic champion in the 200m butterfly, Le Clos has been chasing his own short-course world record (1:48.56) all season. Coming within a whisker of breaking it at the final World Cup meet in Singapore earlier
this month when he posted 1:48.88, the South African will surely be looking to go one better in Doha.
His countryman, Cameron Van De Burgh, who holds the short-course world records in 50m and 100m breaststroke, will also be hoping to add to South Africa’s medal tally in Doha.
Lithuanian sensation Ruta Meilutyte, who broke onto the scene by winning a gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London at just age 15, will also compete in Doha as will three-time Olympic medallist and regional hero, Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia.
Double world record holder Mireia Belmonte of Spain and Olympian Lotte Friis of Denmark will also make the trip to Doha.
THE PENINSULA
