FINA Newsletter from Barcelona #11

Newsletter #11 // July 30, 2013

WORLD RECORD: Sixteen-year-old Katie Ledecky smashed the 1500 metres freestyle world record on a great day for the USA which brought three world crowns for the Stars and Stripes team. Ledecky prevailed in a monumental duel with Denmark's defending champion Lotte Friis, while Missy Franklin and Matt Grevers grabbed the golds in their respective 100m backstroke finals. Fellow Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte, born just two days after Ledecky, came tantalisingly close to her own second world record in two days but still celebrated an historic first world title in the 50m pool for independent Lithuania in the 100m breaststroke.

HISTORY WAS MADE: CESILIE CARLTON (USA) IS THE FIRST WORLD CHAMPION!

They were only six, but Cesilie Carlton (USA) was happy as she had won against 60 other competitors! The North American (who suffers from vertigo!) high diver became the first world champion in this discipline, getting the best accumulated results after the three rounds of dives on this hot, sunny and windy Tuesday in Barcelona (ESP). Carlton won the competition in 211.60, while Ginger Huber (USA, silver, 206.70) and Anna Bader (GER, bronze, 203.90) completed the podium of this historical event.

This novelty at the FINA World Championships is almost a première for these divers also – in fact, besides the shows and exhibitions, the most known competition of High Diving are the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, an annual circuit with several legs around the world. But, until a couple of weeks ago, these series were only open to men. On last July 14, in Malcesina (ITA), four of the six finallists in Barcelona (Tara Hyer Tira and Huber from USA, Bader, and Stephanie de Lima from Canada) made their debut in this circuit.

On this July 30, they reached the top of the world, diving from the 20m platform constructed in the port of Barcelona. The final was held in three rounds – the first with a maximum DD of 2.6, the second with a DD of 3.4, and an unlimited DD in the third combination. Bader was the provisional leader after the first set of dives, while Huber was the best after the second round. Performing a well-executed DD 3.3 dive, Carlton – whose characteristic is to jump quite fast once she arrives to the end of the platform (she would later explain that is because of her vertigo) – managed to secure the gold in a convincing way.

The winner of this landmark event in Barcelona is from San Antonio, Texas, has been a springboard diver, and started practising High Diving in 2009, much because of her husband, himself a high diver. Her teammate Huber is an entertainment performer at Sea World, San Diego, and the highest she dives from in her shows is 7m. She is a former junior diver at national level, and at 38 she is the veteran of the competition.

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WORLD RECORD FOR LEDECKY ON DAY OF GOLDEN US TREBLE

Sixteen-year-old Katie Ledecky smashed the 1500 metres freestyle world record on a great day for the USA which brought three world crowns for the Stars and Stripes team. Ledecky prevailed in a monumental duel with Denmark's defending champion Lotte Friis, while Missy Franklin and Matt Grevers grabbed the golds in their respective 100m backstroke finals. Fellow Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte, born just two days after Ledecky, came tantalisingly close to her own second world record in two days but still celebrated an historic first world title in the 50m pool for independent Lithuania in the 100m breaststroke.

Ledecky, who won the 400m freestyle on Day 1, and Friis fought neck and neck in the 30-length pool marathon, the American edging clear in the final 100 metres to win in 15:36.53. Friis, world silver medallist in 2009 and champion in 2011, was also inside the 15:42.54 world mark set by Kate Ziegler in Mission Viejo, California, on June 17, 2007. Lauren Boyle (NZL), Barcelona 400m freestyle bronze medallist, came through strongly in the later stages to claim another bronze in 15:44.71.

Meilutyte finished a shade outside the world record 1:04.35 she clocked in the 100m breaststroke semi-finals, sweeping to the gold in 1:04.42, a time still inside the 1:04.45 world mark which had stood to Jessica Hardy (USA) since August 2009. Yuliya Efimova (RUS), world silver medallist in 2009, was the only swimmer to finish within a second of the Lithuanian, taking the silver in 1:05.02. Hardy, world silver medallist in 2005, scooped the bronze in 1:05.52.

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HUNGARY-CROATIA AND MONTENEGRO-ITALY SET FOR MEN'S SEMIFINALS

Hungary will play Olympic champion Croatia and Montenegro will face Italy in Thursday’s semifinals of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Championships at the Bernat Picornell Pool.

It was a day of drama in the quarterfinals today as each team had to battle for the right to contest the semifinals. Hungary came through the opening match, turning a 3-2 halftime lead to 5-3 at the final break and 9-3 at full time, thanks to a better extra-man scoring statistic.

Croatia was two goals down to Australia - 5-3 - with four minutes remaining to force the 5-5 draw and go to extra time, drawing the first period 1-1 and winning the last 1-0. Australia missed a classic victory when Richard Campbell fired a wide open two-metre shot into the upright 18 seconds from regulation time and then Australia fumbled the last-gasp chance to level to enforce a penalty shootout. Croatia had survived by the skin of its teeth despite the fact that Australia used an illegal fourth timeout with one of the earlier breaks not recorded by the secretary.

Montenegro upstaged World League champion and Olympic bronze medallist Serbia 9-8 with a goal 70 seconds from the final buzzer. Serbia was the heavy favourite but Montenegro battled all game to level and then win the match in the final quarter. Aleksandar Ivovic was the hero with his second goal of the match and 15th for the championship. It will be the first time Serbia has not played for a medal at this level. Montenegro was third in this year’s World League and seventh in Shanghai two years ago.

In the final match of the night, Italy opened the scoring, fended off Spain twice - 2-2 and 3-3 - and won the match on the strength of a single Pietro Figlioli goal in the second half for 4-3. It was a passionate match played in front of about 5000 spectators in which one player gained an injured eyebrow and there were plenty of other stoppages for accidental dangerous contact.

The round of 5-8 now comprises a competition of epic proportions considering all four teams have played at their highest level for much of the championship and all would be disappointed at not shooting for medals.

Thursday’s semifinals:

Round 5-8:
15:30 37. GRE vs AUS
17:00 38. SRB vs ESP
Round 1-4:
20:15 39. HUN vs CRO
21:45 40. MNE vs ITA

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