Sport
Le Clos succeeds Phelps as world butterfly champ
Le Clos succeeds Phelps as world butterfly champ
Agencies/Barcelona
Chad le Clos, who dethroned Michael Phelps as 200m butterfly Olympic champion, succeeded him as world champion at the FINA World Championships yesterday, inheriting the crown after the retirement of the great American. |
The 21-year-old South African finished strongly to win in 1:54.32, ahead of former world champion Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland, who had led into the last turn. Korzeniowski, gold medallist in the absence of Phelps in 2005 and silver medallist in 2009, claimed the silver in 1:55.01, with China's Peng Wu collecting his fourth World Championship medal in the event, a bronze in 1:55.09 ahead of Chinese teammate Yin Chen (1:55.47). Wu took silver in 2007 and bronze in 2005 and 2011.
Phelps had won the 200 fly title at five of the last six World Championships, having chosen not to defend it in 2005. Olympic bronze medallist Takeshi Matsuda of Japan, twice a silver medallist and once bronze at the Worlds, failed to make the final.
Meanwhile, it was redemption time for Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa, who turned the tables on his 100m breaststroke conqueror, Australian Christian Sprenger, to reclaim the world 50m breaststroke crown by the tiny margin of one-hundredth of a second.
Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Van der Burgh had to settle for silver behind Sprenger in the 100 event on Monday but levelled the score in the 50.
The South African, 50m gold medallist in 2009 and bronze medallist in 2007 and 2011, won the one-length sprint in 26.77, 0.10 seconds outside his own world record, with Sprenger—Olympic 100m breaststroke silver medallist behind Van der Burgh in 2012—touching in 26.78.
Giulio Zorzi, Van der Burgh's South African teammate, snatched the bronze in 27.04, himself just 0.01 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Damir Dugonjic of Slovenia.
The men's 800m freestyle gold was won by China’s Sun Yang, with Michael McBroom of the USA second and Canada’s Ryan Cochrane third.
Having won Sunday’s 400m freestyle final, the 21-year-old Sun dominated the longer freestyle final to clock 7 minutes 41.36 seconds with McBroom second 2.24 seconds behind and Cochrane a further 2.34 seconds back.
In the men’s 100m semi-finals, Nathan Adrian led an American one-two into today’s final. The Olympic champion won his semi-final in 47.95 to edge out teammate James Feigen, who was 0.12 slower swimming in the other semi-final.
Brazilian Marcelo Chierighini had the third-fastest time, followed by defending champion James Magnussen from Australia, who swam a 48.20.
World record-holder Cesar Cielo, who won the 50m butterfly gold medal on Monday, did not enter the event after failing to swim in the Brazilian trials.
Fu Yuanhi led the field into the 50m backstroke final. The Chinese swam 27.40 to beat Aya Terakawa from Japan by 0.30.