Ryan Lochte Swims to Gold in 200-meter Freestyle
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Ryan Lochte captured the 200-meter freestyle title in an Olympic Qualifying Time of 1:44.44, defeating U.S. teammate Michael Phelps and defending World Champion Paul Biedermann of Germany, on the third day of swimming competition at the Oriental Sports Center. Lochte's victory was the first against Phelps in a Worlds or Olympics event. Although Lochte trailed his teammate at the 50- and 100-meter marks, a late surge on the final turn propelled him ahead of Phelps and secured the lead.
After the race, Lochte met with reporters, explaining, "I knew Michael wanted to go out to clean water, so I had to stay in striking distance and just work what I'm good at, those underwaters on each turn," Lochte said. "It's a big confidence boost. Hopefully, this win will help carry me in my other races."
Tomorrow Lochte looks to continue his success when he takes to the pool to defend his 200-meter individual medley crown and world record 1:54.10 performance. With Lochte's individual gold in the 200 freestyle, he brings the United States' medal count to four gold, and 12 overall.
Former UF swimmer Melania Costa-Schmid, representing Spain, swam a 1:57.83 Olympic Qualifying Time and new personal best in the women's 200-meter freestyle semifinals to finish 10th in the field.
Current Gators Marcin Cieslak and Sebastien Rousseau each represented the Orange and Blue in the men's 200-meter butterfly, to stamp new records in the all-time top-10 list. Cieslak's 1:56.13 semifinals finish, a new personal record and Olympic Qualifying Time, places him on top of the list in the Florida record books, beating his previously set record (1:57.13) by an entire second. Rousseau's 1:57.15 performance in the prelims puts him third on the all-time list.
The 14th FINA World Championships continue Wednesday. Morning sessions are scheduled to take place from 9-11:30 a.m. local time in Shanghai (9-11:30 p.m. ET), while finals are slated for 6-8 p.m. (6-8 a.m. ET). Gator fans can get complete 2011 FINA World's coverage through OMEGA Timing by visiting their website here. For more information about the 14th annual FINA World Championships please click here.
Fans in the United States can follow all the action from the World Championships on NBC and Universal Sports. NBC will broadcast the final two days of the meet on July 30 and 31 from 1-3 p.m. ET. Universal Sports will broadcast the remainder of the competition (July 25-27) from 8-10 p.m. ET each night. A webcast of the World Championships will also be available online at www.universalsports.com.
EVENING SESSION RESULTS
Men's 200-meter freestyle (final)
Ryan Lochte (United States), 1st, 1:44.44, Olympic Qualifying Time
Women's 200-meter freestyle (semifinals)
Melania Costa-Schmid (Spain), 10th, 1:57.83, Olympic Qualifying Time
Men's 200-meter butterfly (semifinals)
Marcin Cieslak (Poland), 11th, 1:56.13, Olympic Qualifying Time
MORNING SESSION RESULTS
Men's 50-meter breaststroke
Rodion Davelaar (Netherlands Antilles), 24th, 28.21
Men's 200-meter butterfly
Marcin Cieslak (Poland), 10th, 1:56.56, Olympic Qualifying Time (advances to semifinals)
Sebastien Rousseau (South Africa), 17th, 1:57.15
Women's 200-meter freestyle
Melania Costa-Schmid (Spain), 11th, 1:58.04, Olympic Qualifying Time (advances to semifinals)
