The Hindu : Igelstrom sinks another world mark

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 08, 2002

Sport

Sport - Swimming

Igelstrom sinks another world mark

MOSCOW April 7. In her third world-record race in as many days, Sweden's Emma Igelstrom won the 100m breaststroke at the short-course World swimming championships here on Saturday.

Yana Klochkova of Ukraine won her third gold of the meet in the 200m medley and Therese Alshammar also got a third gold for her role in Sweden's victory in the 400m women's freestyle relay.

Australian swimmers grabbed both of the night's golds for men: Matt Welsh in the 50m backstroke and Geoff Huegill in the 50m butterfly.

Igelstrom, who also set a world record in the 50m breaststroke and contributed to Sweden's 400m medley relay record, said her first season as a full-time swimmer has surprised her.

``Probably I didn't plan to swim so fast,'' she said, but added that her intense training has not only boosted her confidence but reduced her weight by some nine kilogrammes (20 pounds).

After her wins of the previous two nights, Saturday's competition was almost an afterthought.

``I was very relaxed. I knew that whatever happened tonight, I could go home from Moscow satisfied,'' Igelstrom said.

She finished in 1 minute 5.38 seconds, 0.02 seconds ahead of the old record set in 1999 by Penelope Heyns. Defending champion Sarah Poewe ended up with silver and China's Luo Xuejuan was third

Klochkova's versatility earlier brought her golds in both the 400m freestyle and the 400m medley. Although she was only the fifth-fastest qualifier for the 200m medley, she dominated the final and finished in 2:08.82.

American Gabrielle Rose was in second and Oksana Verevka of Russia took the bronze.

In the 400m freestyle relay, Sweden was in fifth place at the 100m split, but Alshammar, swimming second, put in the race's fastest leg and pushed Sweden into a lead it never relinquished, finishing in 3:35.09. Australia came home second in 3:35.97, followed by China in 3:36.18.

Welsh's time of 23.66 in the 50m backstroke was within 0.24 seconds of the world record and the Australian said he's getting closer.

``My times are dropping slowly and one day I'll get that world record,'' he said after edging out American Peter Marshall and Toni Helbig of Germany.

Huegill's 22.89 in the 50m butterfly was a championship record and brought him his second medal of the meet. Adam Pine of Australia and Britain's Mark Foster won silver and bronze.

In the night's semifinals at the Olimpisky sports complex, two swimmers set championship records: Haley Cope of the United States in the 50m backstroke with 27.56 and Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor swam the 50m breaststroke in 26.86.

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