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| August 22, 2007 | Wednesday | Sha’aban 8, 1428 |
World champions register comfortable victories: International swimming competition
NARASHINO (Japan), Aug 21: World champions Kosuke Kitajima, Leisel Jones and Park Tae-Hwan underlined their supremacy in the pool by winning the international swim meet on the opening day here on Tuesday.
Kitajima, a dual gold medallist from Japan at the Athens Olympics, shrugged off an injury scare to win the men’s 100-metre breaststroke in 59.74, beating Australia’s Christian Sprenger in 1:00.76 and American Jon Roberts in 1:00.82.
Jones, who defeated Rebecca Soni to win the women’s 100m breaststroke at the world championships in March, repeated her performance by beating the American again with a time of 1:06.15.
Soni was second in 1:06.94 and her compatriot Tara Kirk third in 1:07.31.
“I got an injury a month ago and I once thought to withdraw, but this is an international competition being held in Japan, so I really wanted to take part,” said Kitajima, who won the 200m breaststroke in Melbourne.
“I was anxious if I would do well, but I feel relieved that I won. I swear that I will win again in the Beijing Olympics,” added Kitajima, who tore a muscle in his left thigh last month.
The 400m freestyle world champion Park defeated double world record holder Grand Hackett of Australia to win the same distance in 3:44.77.
Hackett timed 3:45.27, followed by Przemyslaw Stanczyk of Poland third in 3:45.71.
Australia won the women’s 400m freestyle through Bronte Barratt, who clocked 4:05.93 to beat Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland into second and Caitlin McClatchey of Britain into third.
Poland won the men’s 200m butterfly with Pawel Korzeniowski in 1:54.93, ahead of Japan’s Ryuichi Shibata and China’s world silver medallist Wu Peng.
In the women’s 400m individual medley, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe timed 4:36.07 to beat Stephanie Rice of Australia and Katarzyna Baranowska of Poland, while Australia won the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, respectively.
Results:
Men’s:
400m freestyle: 1. Park Tae-Hwan (KOR) 3:44.77; 2. Grand Hackett (AUS) 3:45.27; 3. Przemyslaw Stanczyk (POL) 3:45.71; 4. Zhang Lin (CHN) 3:48.38; 5. David Davies (GBR):49.80.
100m breaststroke: 1. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) 59.74; 2. Christian Sprenger (AUS) 1:00.76; 3. Jon Roberts (USA) 1:00.82; 4. Vladislav Polyakov (KAZ) 1:01.43; 5. Brenton Rickard (AUS) 1:01.43.
200m butterfly: 1. Pawel Korzeniowski (POL) 1:54.93; 2. Ryuichi Shibata (JPN) 1:54.99; 3. Wu Peng (CHN) 1:56.05; 4. Chen Yin (CHN) 1:56.13; 5. William Stovall (USA) 1:56.58.
400m freestyle relay: 1. Australia 3:14.26 (Eamon Sullivan, Andruw Lauterstein, Matthew Targett, Kenrick Monk); 2. Japan 3:18.38, 3. China 3:18.94, 4. USA 3:19.41, 5. Britain 3:22.18.
Women’s:
400m freestyle: 1. Bronte Barratt (AUS) 4:05.93; 2. Otylia Jedrzejczak (POL) 4:06.27; 3. Caitlin McClatchey (GBR) 4:07.12; 4. Ai Shibata (JPN) 4:07.68; 5. Linda Mackenzie (AUS) 4:07.69.
100m breaststroke: 1. Leisel Jones (AUS) 1:06.15; 2. Rebecca Soni (USA) 1:06.94; 3. Tara Kirk (USA) 1:07.31; 4. Nanaka Tamura (JPN) 1:08.10; 5. Kate Haywood (GBR) 1:08.73.
400m individual medley: 1. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 4:36.07; 2. Stephanie Rice (AUS) 4:37.18; 3. Katarzyna Baranowska (POL) 4:40.26; 4. Li Xuanxu (CHN) 4:41.13; 5. Hannah Miley (GBR) 4:42.17.
400m freestyle relay: 1. Australia 3:38.84 (Shayne Reese, Melanie Schlanger, Linda Macekzie, Lisbeth Lenton); 2. China 3:39.91, 3. USA 3:41.26, 4. Sweden 3:43.20, 5. Japan 3:44.59.—AFP
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