Former Men's Swimmer Lochte Earns Second Gold of World Championships
Thursday, April 10, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Former Florida swimmer Ryan Lochte picked up his second gold medal at the 2008 Short Course World Championships in Manchester, England, touching the wall first in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:03.21.
Lochte led the eight-man field by just over half a second and was joined on the awards stand by American teammate Robert Margalis who finished .53 seconds behind Lochte for the silver.
The former Gator returned to the water four events later to pick up a bronze medal in the 50 freestyle. Lochte finished just .14 seconds behind winner Mark Foster of Great Britain with a time of 21.46. Just .40 seconds separated the top eight finishers in the event. His American 800 free relay team wrapped up the day by setting a new American record, finishing fourth with a time of 7:00.19. Lochte was joined in the water by Robert Margalis, Larsen Jensen and Doug Van Wie. The foursome bested the previous record by more than a second.
Freshman Bobby Walsh finished with an overall ranking of 20 in the 400 IM, touching the wall with a time of 4:25.88. Walsh is swimming at the Championships for his native Philippines and will hit the water again tomorrow, swimming in the 200 IM and again Saturday in the 100 IM and Sunday in the 200 Fly.
The World Championships are being swum in short-course meters, different than the usual yards or meters used in collegiate and most international meets. The meet will continue through April 13.
