| Australian teenager sets third world record 18-year-old Ian Thorpe became the main sensation of the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Yesterday he set another world record - 1.44.06 seconds. at a distance of 200 meters freestyle. As a result, Thorpe not only won the duel against Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband, who finished second in 1.45.81 seconds, but also became the second swimmer after American Tim Shaw to earn three freestyle golds at one championship . Having started his winning streak of medals and world records with the 400m, Thorpe then added two more golds in the 800m and 200m, not counting the top honors in the 400m relay.
Immediately after the finish, the Australian admitted that he did not think of the 200-meter triumph as a victory over any of his opponents. “First of all, this is my victory over myself,” he said. However, being a diplomat by nature, Thorpe did not forget to thank his main opponent Pieter van den Hoogenband: “Peter is a great guy and a good friend. And for me to be next to him in the same pool is a huge privilege.” In response to this compliment, the Dutch swimmer just threw up his hands: “I wanted to swim faster and better, but I couldn’t.”
The current confrontation between Thorpe and Hoogenband was of fundamental importance for both. Last September, the Dutchman improved the world record twice and was considered the favorite in the 200m. True, not for long. In March, at the Australian Championships, Ian Thorpe swam this distance faster than anyone, and in Fukuoka he improved his own time. By the way, to be fair, it is worth noting that 200-meter records changed quite often. Among the authors of world achievements was the representative of the Soviet Union Sergei Koplyakov, who in 1979 showed a result of 1.49.83 seconds.
In the meantime, Russian swimmers cannot boast of “fast seconds.” Only two of our swimmers made it to the finals of yesterday's competition. Vladislav Kulikov rounded out the eight semi-finalists in the 100 m butterfly, and Stanislava Komarova was sixth in the 200 m backstroke in the semi-finals.
Russian divers failed to make it into the top three. Although there were chances for this: in the semi-finals of the 10-meter platform diving tournament, Russian Svetlana Timoshinina made it to third place, but in the final, alas, she became only eighth. Another Russian, Olga Klokova, is twelfth. “Gold” and “silver” were won by two 14-year-old Chinese girls, Xu Min and Duan Oying. Moreover, Duan Oying already has the “gold” of the current championship in synchronized diving.
Last day was also unsuccessful for Russian water polo players. Journalists called their meeting with the Canadian team a real thriller. Our girls' opponents equalized the score 40 seconds before the end of the match, the outcome of which was decided in overtime. The Canadians won 8:9, and the Russians dropped out of further competition. Thus, the USA-Italy, Canada-Hungary pairs will meet in the semi-finals of the women's water polo tournament. Olga ERMOLINA |
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