Schooling's satisfied with another Asian mark despite no podium finish
Schooling seventh in 50m fly, with a new Asian record
Amid powerful whirring strokes and churning white water, eight butterfly titans duelled for metal over 50 metres in Kazan, Russia, yesterday, including Singapore hero Joseph Schooling.
Among the world's best, Schooling lowered his own Asian record when he clocked 23.25sec, but could finish only seventh at the world swimming championships.
Frenchman Florent Manaudou was in a class of his own, winning the race in 22.97, ahead of Brazil's silver medallist Nicholas Santos (23.09) and joint-bronze medallists, Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and Konrad Czerniak of Poland.
Schooling, who had set the previous continental mark of 23.27 in the semi-finals on Sunday, was 0.10sec off the two third-placed finishers.
Speaking later, the 20-year-old said: "In all, I am satisfied with my performance in this event.
"My target was to reach the final and do a personal-best time. I have done that and at the same time set a new Asian record.
"I have two more individual events and my focus is now to concentrate and do well for those two events."
The Singaporean clocked 23.40 in his opening heat, which bettered his old national record by 0.03sec, and qualified for the final in seventh place with his 23.27 effort in the semi-finals.
YOUNGEST
In doing so, he became the first Singapore man to reach a world championships final since Ang Peng Siong in 1986, and he was youngest in last night's race.
The University of Texas undergraduate, who has targeted a first medal at a world championships for Singapore this year, was quickest off the blocks in Lane 1 with a 0.60sec reaction time in the final.
But he was quickly playing catch-up, with the tall and powerfully built Manaudou leading the charge in Lane 4 and eventually touching home for gold.
Schooling, who is also gunning for glory in the 200m and 100m fly (heats today and on Friday respectively) events, was the only Singaporean to feature in the finals in Kazan so far (see right sidebar).
My target was to reach the final and do a personal-best time. I have done that and at the same time set a new Asian record. I have two more individual events and my focus is now to concentrate and do well for those two events.
- Joseph Schooling (above)
Two new world marks
Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom broke the women's 100m butterfly world record for the second time in 24 hours to win gold in the final at the world swimming championships last night.
Sjostrom clocked 55.64sec to shave 0.15sec off the record she set in Sunday's semi-final, as she retained the world title she won two years ago in Barcelona.
Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen, the 50m butterfly world champion, took silver in 57.05 with China's Lu Ying claiming bronze with 57.48.
Hungary's "Iron Lady" Katinka Hosszu also set a world record in the women's 200m individual medley, when she retained her crown.
Hosszu clocked 2min 06.12sec to take 0.03sec off Ariana Kukors' previous record from the 2009 world championships in the era of neoprene suits.
Japan's Kanako Watanabe took silver 2.33sec back, with Britain's Siobhan Marie O'Connor claiming bronze 2.65sec further adrift. - AFP.
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