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ROME, Italy, July 27. ARIANA Kukors of the United States blasted her world record in the women's 200 IM finale at the FINA World Championships held in Rome. After posting an amazing time of 2:07.03 during semifinals, Kukors crushed the record with an astonishing 2:06.15 to nearly clear 2:06 altogether.
"I just needed to stay underwater as long as I could, and stay between my lane lines," Kukors said. "That last 50, I saw Stephanie coming up, so I just wanted to get my hand on the wall first. I never stopped believing. I've had a lot of ups and downs in my career. Dreams do come true, and I have a great coach and great family that didn't stop believing in me."
Australia's Stephanie Rice, the previous record holder heading into the meet, tied the now former world record with a silver-winning time of 2:07.03. Hungary's Katinka Hosszu snatched bronze in 2:07.46 as the 2:07 club grew to three.
Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry finished fourth in 2:08.94, while Denmark's Julie Hjorth-Hansen placed fifth in 2:09.73. Great Britain's Hannah Miley (2:09.91), Hungary's Evelyn Verraszto (2:09.98) and France's Camille Muffat (2:10.85) completed the final swims.