Rome, July 27 (DPA) The final session in the swimming competition at the world championships in Rome Monday saw more records being broken, following the setting of three new world earlier in the session.
Australian Brenton Rickard won the gold medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke, while Swedish teenage sensation Sarah Sjostrom broke her own record in the 100m butterfly final.
American Rebecca Soni managed to break the women’s 100m breaststroke record in the semi-finals.
Rickard swam 58.58 seconds to win the men’s 100m breaststroke, beating the previous best mark held by Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima.
The silver medal went to France’s Hugues Duboscq in a time of 58.64, while Cameron Van der Burgh of South Africa took the bronze, .37 seconds behind Rickard.
American Eric Shanteau, who swam a championship record in the semi-finals, finished fourth. He said that he was disappointed with his finish.
“Having set a championship record in the semi-finals, I was hoping to get a medal in the finals, but the other guys did well, so I can’t complain.”
Ukrainian Igor Borysik, whose time of 58.67 from earlier this year has not yet been ratified, placed fifth.
In the women’s 100m butterfly, Sjostrom swam her second world record in as many days as she won gold in a time of 56.06, beating her own record by .38 seconds.
The 15-year-old sensation, who was born in Handen, first made international waves last year when she won the same event in the European long course championships in a time of 58.44.
Jessicah Schipper came second behind Sjostrom in a time of 56.23, while China’s Jiao Liuyang won the bronze medal in a time of 56.86.
In the men’s 100m backstroke, world record holder Aaron Peirsol was sensationally knocked out in the semi-finals when he managed no better than the ninth-fastest time, while Japan’s Junya Koga swam a championship record in 52.39.
Germany’s Helge Meeuw and Koga’s compatriot Ryosuke Irie followed into the final.
Spain’s Aschwin Wildeboer, who swam a championship record in the heats in the morning session, had the fourth-fastest time.
Soni, who swam a championship record in the heats in the women’s 100m breaststroke went one better in the semi-finals, when she managed to break Leisel Jones’ world record.
Jones’ time was 1:05.09, which Soni bettered by. 25 seconds, thereby becoming the first swimmer to manage to get under the 1:05 mark in a time of 1:04.84.
She was followed into the finals by Russian Yuliya Efimova and Australian Sarah Katsoulis.
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