Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom Starts Strong in Chase for 50 Freestyle Repeat

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World Swimming Championships (Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom)

Gwangju 2019

Day Seven Heats (Women’s 50 Freestyle)

Through a trio of events at the Nambu University Aquatics Center, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom has been perfect in her pursuit of the World Champs podium. Whether she secures a gold medal, however, comes down to the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle. While Sjostrom is the heavy favorite to win the 50 fly on Saturday night, she started defense of her crown in the 50 freestyle in stylish fashion, topping the preliminaries in 24.26. Sjostrom has already grabbed silver in the 100 butterfly and bronze medals in the 100 and 200 freestyles.

The silver medalist in the 100 free, Aussie Cate Campbell earned the No. 2 seed by the slimmest of margins, her effort of 24.40 just a hundredth quicker than the 24.41 of American Simone Manuel, who blazed to the 100 free crown from Lane One. Manuel was the bronze medalist in the 50 free at the 2017 World Championships and is looking for a sprint double this time around, which would be the perfect launch into the Olympic campaign. For Campbell, she awoke with the aim of learning from the setback to Manuel.

“It is what it is,” Campbell said. “It is a little bittersweet. I think I actually put together a really good race. There are a lot of points I need to take away from this meet, just around general recovery, and things like that when you are looking at an eight-day program which I haven’t done for a couple of years now. There’s a lot of learning. It’s great to be on the podium. I’ve managed to get on the podium every time I’ve swum the 100 at a World Championship which is a pretty remarkable achievement in itself so I am focusing on the positives and moving forward.”

Denmark’s Pernille Blume, the reigning Olympic champion in the 50 freestyle, posted the fourth-fastest time of prelims along with Russia’s Mariia Kameneva, as each woman stopped the clock in 24.44. They were followed in 24.47 by American Abbey Weitzeil while 2012 Olympic titlist Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands was seventh in 24.56.

Semifinalists

1. Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden 24.26
2. Cate Campbell, Australia 24.40
3. Simone Manuel, United States 24.41
4. Pernille Blume, Denmark 24.44
4. Mariia Kameneva, Russia 24.44
6. Abbey Weitzeil, United States 24.47
7. Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Netherlands 24.56
8. Liu Xiang, China 24.61
9. Bronte Campbell, Australia 24.74
10. Femke Heemskerk, Netherlands 24.80
11. Anna Hopkin, Great Britain, 24.85
12. Michelle Coleman, Sweden 24.95
13. Lidon Munoz del Campo, Spain 24.96
14. Katarzyna Wasick, Poland 24.97
15. Julie Jensen, Denmark 25.02
16. Julie Meynen, Luxembourg 25.07

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