Pan Pacific Championships, Results: Jessica Hardy Closes Out Kanako Watanabe for 100 Breast Title
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GOLD COAST, Australia, August 22. IN an incredibly exciting finale, USA’s Jessica Hardy simply had too much in the tank to hold off a hard-charging Kanako Watanabe of Japan for gold, 1:06.74 to 1:06.78, in the 100-meter breast at Pan Pacific Championships. Hardy went out fast as she usually does with a 30.96, then withstood Watanabe’s 35.01 coming home. Both swimmers have been faster this year with Hardy actually securing a bit of an upset. Watanabe is ranked second in the world with a 1:05.88 from the Japan Open, while Hardy posted a 1:06.51 at U.S. Nationals.
That’s Team USA’s fourth win in a row in the event, with the fourth different winner as Amanda Beard (2002), Tara Kirk (2006) and Rebecca Soni (2010) are the previous U.S. winners dating back to Pennie Heyns’ 1999 win for South Africa.
USA’s Breeja Larson gave the U.S. a 1-3 in the event with a third-place 1:06.99, just off her 1:06.73 from U.S. Nationals.
Australia’s Lorna Tonks (1:07.41), Australia’s Taylor McKeown (1:07.55), Japan’s Satomi Suzuki (1:07.99), Canada’s Kierra Smith (1:08.49) and Canada’s Martha McCabe (1:08.96) wrapped up the rest of the championship heat.
A Final Results
1 HARDY, JESSICA 27 UNITED STATES 1:06.94 1:06.74 896 r:+0.69 30.96 1:06.74 (35.78) 2 WATANABE, KANAK 17 JAPAN 1:06.83 1:06.78 894 r:+0.79 31.77 1:06.78 (35.01) 3 LARSON, BREEJA 22 UNITED STATES 1:07.06 1:06.99 886 r:+0.77 31.67 1:06.99 (35.32) 4 TONKS, LORNA 25 AUSTRALIA 1:07.51 1:07.41 869 r:+0.61 31.65 1:07.41 (35.76) 5 MCKEOWN, TAYLOR 19 AUSTRALIA 1:07.48 1:07.55 864 r:+0.65 32.23 1:07.55 (35.32) 6 SUZUKI, SATOMI 23 JAPAN 1:07.59 1:07.99 847 r:+0.69 32.18 1:07.99 (35.81) 7 SMITH, KIERRA 20 CANADA 1:08.64 1:08.49 829 r:+0.77 32.72 1:08.49 (35.77) 8 MCCABE, MARTHA 25 CANADA 1:09.19 1:08.96 812 32.46 1:08.96 (36.50)
It wasn’t the same type of speed she used to get here at U.S. Nationals with a sixth-ranked 1:06.51, but USA’s Micah Lawrence had plenty enough to torch the rest of the B final with a 1:07.16. Japan’s Rie Kaneto (1:08.03) and Australia’s Sally Hunter (1:08.52) placed well behind the American in the consolation heat.
Canada’s Tera Van Beilen (1:09.02), China’s Liu Xiaoyu (1:09.89), Brazil’s Ana Carvalho (1:10.00), South Africa’s Jonker Franko (1:10.34) and Hong Kong’s Yvette Kong (1:10.75) also swam in the B final
B Final Results
9 LAWRENCE, MICAH 24 UNITED STATES 1:07.54 1:07.16 879 r:+0.74 31.75 1:07.16 (35.41) 10 KANETO, RIE 25 JAPAN 1:07.97 1:08.03 846 r:+0.73 32.64 1:08.03 (35.39) 11 HUNTER, SALLY 29 AUSTRALIA 1:08.13 1:08.52 828 r:+0.71 32.44 1:08.52 (36.08) 12 VAN BEILEN, TER 21 CANADA 1:09.39 1:09.02 810 r:+0.68 32.30 1:09.02 (36.72) 13 LIU, XIAOYU 21 CHINA 1:09.87 1:09.89 780 r:+0.69 32.75 1:09.89 (37.14) 14 CARVALHO, ANA C 23 BRAZIL 1:10.26 1:10.00 776 r:+0.71 32.52 1:10.00 (37.48) 15 FRANKO, JONKER 21 SOUTH AFRICA 1:11.06 1:10.34 765 r:+0.74 32.95 1:10.34 (37.39) 16 KONG, YVETTE 21 HONG KONG 1:11.13 1:10.75 752 r:+0.66 33.06 1:10.75 (37.69)