Medeiros lands 50m backstroke gold
budapest — Brazil’s Etiene Medeiros won the women’s 50m backstroke gold at the world championships on Thursday in a desperately tight final which she won on the wall.
Medeiros clocked 27.14 seconds, a new Americas record just 0.08 away from the world record set in 2009, while China’s Fu Yuanhui took silver at 0.01 back.
Bulgaria’s Aliaksandra Herasimenia earned bronze at just 0.09 behind as all eight swimmers in the final finished within half a second of Medeiros.
Having won silver at the Kazan world championships two years ago, the 26-year-old Medeiros went one better in Budapest having also come within 0.12 of the world record on Wednesday.
In the semi-finals, Fu had also been just 0.01 seconds behind Medeiros. “I’m so happy. Two years ago I was second, but now I’m the champion, so this is so important in my life,” said Medeiros.
“I want to thank to my coach — this year has been so different for me. “Now I’m so relaxed.
“Last night was so hard for me, because I was thinking about the final. “I wasn’t confident of winning after last night’s semi-finals and the Chinese was very strong today.
“I was a bit nervous, but I took time to relax and just be happy and it worked out.”
Having been so narrowly beaten, Fu is edging her way towards her first major title.
“I’m not completely satisfied with my result, but, of course, I’m happy about my silver medal.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t swim my personal best, so I have a little feeling of wanting more.”
Fu now has world silver after wining joint bronze over 100m at last year’s Rio Olympics.
The video of the moment she was told she was on the podium in Rio went viral as Fu struggled to contain her emotions.
Meanwhile, The international swimming governing body Fina will not revert to ‘synchronised swimming’ after the name of the sport was changed to ‘artistic swimming’ last week, Fina executive chairman Cornel Marculescu told Reuters on Wednesday.
Fina’s Congress — which also elected top officials including a new term for 81-year-old Chairman Julio Maglione — voted to change the name to attract a wider audience to a sport that has expanded recently, including having male competitors.
“This issue (renaming the sport) is coming out from the media... and also from the (International Olympic Committee) to give another dimension to synchro not to be only synchro swimming but to be a very artistic sport,” Marculescu said . — AFP/Reuters