Barratt claims World Uni gold in backstroke barnstormer
Swimming Australia, July 10, 2015: A gold and silver to the Uniroos were the highlights of the penultimate night of the World University Games swimming competition in in Gwangju, Korea overnight moving the Australians to fourth place on the pool medal tally with two gold, two silver and five bronze medals.
West Australian 27-year-old Holly Barratt claimed Australia’s second gold medal in the pool, winning the 50m backstroke.
Having already bagged bronze in the 50m butterfly in a personal best earlier in the week, Barratt nabbed Australia’s second gold with a personal best of 28.04 seconds.
Barratt dominated the race to win by .34 ahead of Hong Kong’s Hoi Au and Korea’ s Yu Hyounii who tied for the silver in 28.38.
“I wasn’t expecting that. It was quite a big PB and I thought if I do a good race I might come in second, but the best thing for me was the time,” Barratt said.
“To do so many PBs is great. I haven’t done so many good times for two years, so it’s a really good feeling.”
The University of Western Australia student who is concentrating her efforts on Olympic program events the 100m backstroke and 50 freestyle, also went on to qualify third fastest for tonight’s 50m freestyle final.
She joins Justin James, who defended his 200m individual medley title in a dead-heat earlier in the meet, on the winners list in Gwangju.
Barratt’s gold was followed by a silver medal to the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Jacob Hansford, who won the individual bronze in the 200m, led off for the Uniroos and handed over in the lead to men’s team captain Travis Mahoney.
In second place at the half way mark, 400m freestyle silver medallist Jack McLoughlin, returning from the 1500m earlier in the night, held second place in the exchange to James, who came in for the final.
James held the Uniroos in second place to the wall to finish in 7:13.04, to hold off Japan 7:13.12. The USA won in 7:10.82.
In other events on the penultimate night in the pool, in the men’s 1500m freestyle, Queensland University of Technology engineering student McLoughlin stormed home to finish fifth in a personal best of 15:23.53 Japan’s Ayatsugu Hirai won the gold medal in 14:56.10.
After winning bronze in the 200 individual medley Ellen Fullerton (QUT) returned for the 200m freestyle final, finishing sixth in 2:00.28 Shannon Vreeland of the USA snagged the gold in 1:58.38.
Deakin University’s Jessica Hansen eighth in her semi of the 50m breaststroke in 31.90 for 12th overall. And Queensland University of Technology’s Tianni Gilmour placed sixth in her semi for 11th overall in the semi-finals of the women’s 200m butterfly.
Also in the semis of the 50m freestyle Ami Matsuo wasn’t able to join Barratt in the final.
Following her bronze medal in Monday’s women’s 100m freestyle, she finished sixth in her semi of the 50m freestyle to end up 13th overall.
In the morning heats, Kiah Melverton (Griffith University) has been nothing but consistent every time she enters the pool in Gwangju, and proved yet again that she is a star on the rise, this time in the women’s 800m freestyle.
The science student and women’s 1500m bronze medallist swam an 8:42:17 to put her third fastest overall through the heats, as she eyes off another potential podium finish. Curtin University’s Sacha Downing was quick enough too, her 8:59:34 thirteenth fastest.
Issued on behalf of Swimming Australia by
Ian Hanson| Media Manager
Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia Managing Director
Hanson Media Group | P O Box 299 | West Burleigh Qld 4219
Phone: +61 7 5522 5556 | Mobile 0407 385 160 | Fax: +61 7 5522 5557
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.hansonsportsmedia.com.au