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ROME, Italy, August 1. DENMARK's Lotte Friis cemented herself within the discussion of the top distance freestylers in the world with a strong effort in the women's 800 free at the FINA World Championships.
Friis checked in with a meet-record time of 8:15.92 to smash Kate Ziegler's previous mark of 8:18.52 set in 2007. Friis came up short of Rebecca Adlington's world record of 8:14.10 set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Great Britain's Joanne Jackson clocked the fourth best time ever in the event with an 8:16.66 for silver, while Italy's Alessia Filippi snatched bronze in 8:17.21.
Adlington came up short of the podium with a fourth-place time of 8:17.90, while Romania's Camelia Potec finished fifth in 8:20.44.
Spain's Erika Villaecija (8:25.97), France's Ophelie-Cyrielle Etienne (8:26.35), South Africa's Wendy Trott (8:29.61) and Chile's Kristel Kobrich Schimpl (8:30.10) completed the top nine. The event held nine swimmers instead of holding a swimoff for the eighth spot.