LARKIN LEAVES HEROES IN HIS WAKE TO STRIKE DOHA GOLD

 

Swimming Australia, Dember 6, 2014: Brisbane engineering student Mitch Larkin is Australia’s latest world swimming champion after turning the tables on his heroes to win the men’s 100 metres backstroke gold at the World Short Course Championships in Doha.

The Michael Bohl trained Larkin from the St Peters Western Podium Centre stormed home over the final 50 metres to win the world title convincingly in a time of 49.57 seconds.

He swam away from Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki who snuck in on the wall to win silver in 50.11 with celebrated Olympic medallists Ryosuke Irie from Japan and London 100m gold medallist Matt Grevers from the USA dead-heating for the bronze in 50.12.

Larkin, a London Olympic finalist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, looked the goods through his heat and semi-final and produced the race of his life to leave his “swimming heroes” in his wake in the final.

“I have looked up to some of these guys throughout my career – they have been like heroes to me and to race them in tonight’s final was a real honour and a thrill,,” said Larkin, who has emerged as one of the world’s premier backstrokers throughout the World Cup short course season.

“To come out on top is a dream and being called a world champion is something that certainly hasn’t sunk in.

“My coach Michael Bohl and I have worked on my skills and making sure I nail the turns and I think that was a factor tonight.

“Although the time was a little off my best I have said it would always come down to the best racer on the night and I was lucky enough to put it all together on the night.”

Larkin’s gold medal was the start of a medal charge by the Australians with fellow Brisbane swimmers Emily Seebohm and Tommaso D’Orsogna chiming in with silver and bronze medals respectively.

And it took world records to beat them with Hungarian super-swimmer Katinka Hosszu surging ahead of Seebohm off the last turn to win the gold medal in the 100m backstroke final which also saw Australian team mate Madi Wilson finish fourth.

Seebohm produced the fastest swim of her career, clocking a new Commonwealth and Australian record time of 55.31 with Wilson swimming her personal best 56.37.

She later qualified for the final of the 100m individual medley final in 58.31.

D’Orsogna wasn’t going to miss the party either and also pulled out a personal best time to claim the bronze in the 100m butterfly final, won by the world’s hottest swimming talent in Chad Le Clos from South Africa who set a new world record of 48.44secs.

“I’m stoked with that swim and I knew I just had to come home hard and hang on,” said D’Orsogna, who trains under Simon Cusack at the Commercial Podium Centre at the Valley Pool in Brisbane.

“Simon and I sat down after the Pan Pacs and changed a few things and so far so good.

“I’ve hit the right form at the right time and I’m looking forward to the rest of the meet with the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle to come.”

Meanwhile Leiston Pickett (29.88) and Sally Hunter (30.22) flew the Aussie flag in the 50m breaststroke final finishing fourth and seventh respectively.

Commonwealth Games and Pan Pac silver medallist Bronte Campbell qualified second into tomorrow night’s 100m freestyle final after clocking a personal best time of 52.02.

The 20-year-old younger sister of world champion Cate, admitted she made “plenty of mistakes” in the semi-final swim which saw her finish second to The Netherlands gold medal relay swimmer Femke Heemskerk.

Joining Campbell in tomorrow night’s finals will be Pan Pac 100m freestyle champion Cam McEvoy who swam another personal best time of 21.14 to put himself into the 50m freestyle final.

It followed McEvoy’s 100m freestyle pb of 46.56 in last night’s lead off in the 4x00m freestyle relay.

After two nights Australia’s medal tally is one gold, one silver and two bronze.

Issued on behalf of Swimming Australia by
Ian Hanson| Media Manager 2014 Australian Swim Team, World Short Course Championships, Doha

Deputy Media Manager 2016 Australian Olympic Team, Rio
Media Manager, Surf Sports, SLSA
Media Manager Triathlon Australia
Media Manager 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
Media Manager, 2014 Australian Commonwealth Games Team