Doha 2014, Day 5: Hosszu and Le Clos are also the best in Doha! Some days after being awarded the title of FINA Best Swimmers in 2014, Chad Le Clos (RSA) and Katinka Hosszu (HUN) were also the athletes shining the most in the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), held from December 3-7 in Doha (QAT). At the conclusion of the five-day competition, the South African star and the Magyar champion received the Trophy for the Best Male and Female Swimmer of the competition, respectively, after providing great performances in the Hamad Aquatic Centre. Hosszu entered in the history of this competition, by earning eight individual medals, the highest number ever among women, and only equalling Ryan Lochte’s performance in Istanbul 2012 in the men’s field. The difference is that the North American collected some of his medals in relay events. Before the Magyar milestone, the best swimmers in a single edition of the championships were Susan O’Neill (AUS), Josefin Lillhage (SWE), Lisbeth Lenton (AUS) and Brooke Hanson (AUS), all with six podium presences. The results of Hosszu in Doha were impressive: four wins accompanied by WR performances in the 100m and 200 back, 100m and 200m IM, silver medals in the 200m free, 200m fly and 400m IM, and one bronze in the 50m back. In the men’s field, Le Clos statistics are also outstanding. The South African leaves Doha with four individual titles, in the 200m free, 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly, with a WR in the 100m. Moreover, he is the first male swimmer ever to win the three butterfly events in a single edition of the championships. Before him, and among men, only Brendan Hansen (USA) had swept the breaststroke events in 2004, while Ryan Lochte (USA) achieved the same with the medley races in 2008 and 2010. Doha 2014 will also enter in FINA’s history for the level of the performances achieved during the competition: no less than 23 World Records and 24 Championships Record were set in the Qatari capital, largely improving the previous maximum of 18 best global marks, established in Manchester (GBR), in 2008. From this list, 14 WR were on individual events, while nine were improved in relay action. In the medal chart, the leader was Brazil, with a total of 10 awards, seven of them in gold. One athlete in particular was in evidence in the South American delegation – Felipe França Silva, winner in the 50m and 100m breast, and also part of the victorious 4x50m medley, 4x100m medley and mixed 4x50m medley. His teammate Cesar Cielo was also a five-time medallist for Brazil, namely triumphing in the 100m free. The results of Hosszu largely contributed to the second position of Hungary in the medal distribution, with six gold, three silver and two bronze. The top-five was completed by the Netherlands (5+1+6), South Africa (4 gold, 1 silver) and Spain (four gold medals, all going to Mireia Belmonte). The Team Trophy of the Championships was presented to United States, with its team finishing the competition with the highest number medals: 17 (two gold, nine silvers and six bronze). The US titles came in the men’s 4x200m free and in the mixed 4x50m free relay. Lochte, the dominator of the last editions of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), earned eight medals in Doha, but couldn’t achieve any individual victory. Samba night In the fifth and final evening of the swimming action, five WR were set, and things started to get exciting from the first event, the women’s 4x50m free relay, when the team of the Netherlands (Inge Dekker, Femke Heemskerk, Maud Van Der Meer and Ranomi Kromowidjojo) improved their own best global mark (1:35.74) set in the morning heats, establishing the new WR in 1:34.24. Then, the Brazilian festival got underway, with a thrilling victory of Cesar Cielo in the men’s 100m free, defeating his French rival Florent Manaudou, winner of the 50m free and 50m backstroke in Doha. Shortly after, Etiene Medeiros proved her class by triumphing in the women’s 50m back, in a new WR time of 25.67. Felipe França, another successful Brazilian here in Doha, was the champion in the men’s 50m breast, in a new CR of 25.63, contributing also with his effort for the fourth gold of Brazil in this session, in the men’s 4x100m medley relay. Other highlights of the evening included a new WR (50.66) in the men’s 100m IM by Markus Deibler (GER), and the two new global marks of Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) in the women’s 100m fly (54.61) and 200m free (1:50.78). (From: FINA)
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 19:21:23 +0000