Sobbing Seebohm ‘proud’ to defend world title
BUDAPEST: Emily Seebohm of Australia broke down after retaining the women’s 200m backstroke gold at the world championships on Saturday to make up for her disappointment at last year’s Olympics.
Seebohm clocked two minutes, 05.68 seconds with Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu taking silver at 0.17sec and Kathleen Baker of the United States earning bronze at 0.80.
The 25-year- old Seebohm wept when she realised she had won after a superb burst in the final 50 metres saw her hold off homecrowd favourite Hosszu.
“I knew she was really close as I could hear the crowd, it helped drive me on, gave me more probably than what I thought I had,” said the champion.
“I was very proud of myself, no matter if I won or lost, I’m just really honoured to be in such a fantastic field and so quick as well,” said Seebohm, who won bronze in the women’s 100m backstroke on Tuesday despite suffering from a mild cold.
“It’s really good to be here and representing Australia again.”
Seebohm’s gold was Australia’s first of the meet, but she denied feeling pressure to deliver the win.
“No- one really spoke about it, we’re here to swim our best, and whether we get (medals) or not, there’s such a good atmosphere around the deck,” she said.
Seebohm thanked friends and family, especially partner Mitch Larkin, who supported her through a difficult period after last year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics when she failed to get on the podium in either the 100m or 200m backstroke.
A month before Rio she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful condition in the reproductive system that required surgery later in the year. — AFP