Viktoria's faster than winner at senior world championships
Turk signals intent for Rio Olympics with a faster winning time in 200m breast than gold-medallist at Worlds
Seventeen world junior records in 15 events, 40 new meet marks in 38 events.
It was a record-breaking Fina World Junior Swimming Championships and Turkey's Viktoria Zeynep Gunes capped it all with her women's 200m breaststroke win on the final day at the OCBC Aquatic Centre last night.
The 17-year-old clocked a new world junior record of 2min 19.64sec, erasing the old mark of 2:23.12 set by Ukraine's Viktoriya Solnceva in 2013.
Viktoria's time is better than the winning time of 2:21.15 at the senior world championships earlier this month in Kazan, Russia, set by Japan's Kanako Watanabe.
Also, her time is just about half a second away from Danish swimmer Rikke Moeller Pedersen's world record of 2:19.11, set in 2013.
After her race last night, Viktoria said: "It is an amazing result, I was just looking to do 2:21 or 2:22.
"My coach always tells me that I can do this (2:19) but, in my mind, something is always wrong. Now, it is clear."
"Before this competition, I thought of winning a medal at the Olympics, but I didn't believe in myself," added Viktoria, who also won the women's 50m and 100m breaststroke events, along with the 200m individual medley.
With her achievements, she was named the best female swimmer last night, with American Michael Andrew taking home the best male swimmer accolade.
Asked by this reporter if she has now gained the confidence to do well at the Rio Olympics next year, Viktoria said: "I have to."
While Viktoria won four golds in the five events she competed in, Michael had a roller-coaster of a meet in Singapore.
The 16-year-old was pencilled in for eight events, and collected a gold and three silvers, while failing to win a medal in the 200m individual medley, where he was the top seed coming into the meet.
Michael said: "I had some good races and some bad ones, where I learnt some stuff, but this is what the meet is about and I had a blast."
He added that he will look at his race planning and minor adjustments to his strokes before the US Olympic trials in June next year.
Michael also plans to continue with his studies - he is home-schooled - right up to the trials, whereas other swimmers would typically cut down on their academic loads.
Michael said: "I like it because it will be a healthy distraction from all the pressure from swimming."
Australia finished the meet as the top-performing nation with nine golds, seven silvers and three bronzes.
Russia were second (seven golds, four silvers and 10 bronzes) while the United States (six golds, 13 silvers, seven bronzes) finished third.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
l Men's 100m freestyle: Kyle Chalmers (Aus) 48.47sec
l Women's 200m breaststroke: Viktoria Zeynep Gunes (Tur) 2:19.64
l Men's 200m backstroke: Hugo Gonzalez (Esp) 1:58.11
l Women's 100m butterfly: Rikako Ikee (Jap) 58.28
l Men's 1,500m free: Brandonn Almeida (Bra) 15:15.88
l Women's 50m free: Mariia Kameneva (Rus) 25.12
l Men's 200m fly: Nao Horomura (Jap) 1:56.80
l Men's 50m breast: Andrius Sidlauskas (Ltu) 27.99
l Women's 200m free: Taylor Ruck (Can) 1:57.87
l Men's 4x100m medley relay: Russia 3:36.44
l Women's 4x100m medley relay: Russia 4:01.05
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