BRONZED AUSSIES
ROME, July 26: Australia claimed their first medal of the FINA world championships on Sunday, with the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team collecting bronze at the Foro Italico. TODD BALYM AAP reports...
Led by former world record holder Libby Trickett, the team of Marieke Guehrer, Shayne Reese and Felicity Galvez finished in third place behind Germany and the Netherlands.
Germany's Britta Steffen set a new 100m freestyle world record of 52.22 seconds with her lead off leg against Trickett (52.66s), while the Netherlands stormed home in three minutes 31.72 seconds to set a new world mark.
The Germans finished (3:31.83) followed by Australia (3:33.01).
It was an emotional performance by Australia after heat swimmer Meagen Nay had earlier competed less than 24 hours after learning of her elder brother Amos's sudden death in a car accident on the Gold Coast.
The Australian men's 4x100m freestyle relay were the only other finalists on Sunday, and they finished eighth in a time of 3:12.40.
The Michael Phelps led USA team claimed gold in 3:09.21, from Russia (3:09.52) and red-hot favourites France (3:09.89).
While Australia won a medal they lost two worlds records on the opening day of competition including the eight-year-old 400m freestyle mark of Olympic great Ian Thorpe.
Thorpe's time from the 2001 Fukuoka world championships was bettered by the smallest margin by German Paul Biedermann who won in a time of 3:40.07, just one hundredth of a second quicker than Thorpe.
Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice also lost her 200m individual medley world record in the semi-finals with USA's Ariana Kukors clocking 2:07.03, to beat Rice (2:08.68) home and slash 1.42s off her Beijing mark.
Rice says she has the potential to swim faster in the final on Monday night, but isn't sure if she can go as low as the American 20-year-old.
"It's an unbelievable time," said Rice.
"I thought we would have to go 2:07 to win gold. I guess it'll take a 2:06 now.
"I have a little bit left for the final."
A total of six world records fell in eight events on Sunday.
Swedish 15-year-old Sarah Sjostrom claimed the first world record of the meet by taking down the oldest mark in the history books in the 100m butterfly.
Sjostrom swum 56.44s in the fly, to beat Inge de Bruijn's 2000 Olympics time by 0.17s.
Jess Schipper (57.08s) was second quickest qualifier and faces a battle to reclaim her 100m butterfly world title.
Fellow Australian Galvez (57.71s) failed to make the final in 13th place.
Italy's hometown hero Federica Pellegrini (3:59.15) smashed her own 400m freestyle world record becoming the first woman to break four minutes.
Australia's Brenton Rickard and Matt Targett both qualified for the finals on Monday after easing through in their semis.
Rickard (59.27s) was fourth fastest in the 100m breaststroke, with Christian Sprenger (59.98s) missing the final in 16th.
AUSTRALIAN RESULTS
|
Event |
Men |
|
Women |
|
|
400m Free |
Robert Hurley |
3:46.01h 11th |
Bronte Barratt |
4:15.62h 27th |
|
|
Ryan Napoleon |
3:47.98h 21st |
Ellen Fullerton |
4:08.31h 9th |
|
100m Breast |
Brenton Rickard |
59.27 sf; |
Tarnee White |
|
|
|
Christian Sprenger |
59.98 =15th |
Sarah Katsoulis |
|
|
50m Fly |
Andrew Lauterstein |
23.19sf 10th |
Marieke Guehrer |
|
|
|
Matthew Targett |
23.04sf 5th |
Libby Trickett |
|
|
100m Fly |
|
|
Jessicah Schipper |
57.08sf |
|
|
|
|
Felicity Galvez |
57.71sf 13th |
|
200m IM |
|
|
Stephanie Rice |
2:08.68sf |
|
|
|
|
Emily Seebohm |
2:12.88sf 15th |
|
Relays |
|
|
|
|
|
4 x 100m Free |
Matthew Abood Andrew Lauterstein Tommaso D'orsogna Matthew Targett |
3:33.01h |
Sally Foster Marieke Guehrer Shayne Reese Meagen Nay |
3:35.26h |
|
|
Matthew Abood Matthew Targett Andrew Lauterstein Tommaso D'orsogna |
3:12.40f 8th |
Lisbeth Trickett Marieke Guehrer Shayne Reese Felicity Galvez |
3:33.01f 3rd |