Singapore, Aug 3: The United States, which had a frustrating swim world championships, ended on a high note Sunday with a world record in the women’s 4×100 medley relay in the last event of the eight-day championships.
The Americans swam a time of 3 minutes, 49.34 seconds, breaking their own old mark of 3:49.63 set a year ago in the Paris Olympics.
Regan Smith, Kate Douglass and Walsh swam the first three legs with Torri Huske taking the anchor.
The United States finished with nine gold medals and 29 overall, ahead of Australia with eight gold and 20 overall. France and Canada were next in the gold-medal count with four gold medals. The 18-year-old Canadian star Summer McIntosh won all four golds.
The Americans battled a case of “acute gastroenteritis” picked up at a training camp in Thailand. The malady clearly affected the team’s up-and-down performances in Singapore.
The Americans had only five gold medals through six days, but won four in the last two as team health clearly improved.
Sunday’s closing day featured eight finals and victories for seven different teams.
But there were two clear stars throughout the week.
Leon Marchand of France left the worlds on Sunday with what he came for – two individual gold medals.
McIntosh came away with four individual golds – one shy of her quest to win five. Still, she is only the second woman at a world championships to win four individual golds.
Her only blip was finishing third to American Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle on Saturday.
And 12-year-old Chinese Yu Zidi, in an astounding performance, finished fourth in all three of her individual races.
She, however, did pick up a bronze medal in a relay, where she swam in the prelims but not in the final. She swam the 200 fly, and both IM races. (AP)
India’s disappointing campaign ends
Singapore, Aug 3: India’s forgettable campaign at the Swimming World Championships came to an end with Shoan Ganguly’s 28th place finish in the men’s 400m individual medley here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old, who entered the meet on the back of a record-breaking swimming nationals, clocked 4:30.40s as he failed to make the eight-man final.
The effort was far inferior to his ‘Best Indian Time’ of 4:24.64s he set on the way to winning a gold at the nationals in June.
Four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand did just enough to make the final. The French star, who set a new world record en route to the 200 individual medley title earlier in the week, clocked 4:13.19s to take the seventh spot.
Indian swimmers endured an underwhelming run at the world meet with none of them making it past their heats or even improving their personal best timings. (PTI)