Sun begins campaign with a splash
Print Edition
SUN Yang of China has won the first gold medal of pool swimming at the world championships in Kazan, Russia.
The current Olympic champion won the men’s 400-meter freestyle in 3 minutes, 42.58 seconds last night, his third consecutive world title in the event.
Sun is coming back following a three-month doping ban last year after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
James Guy of Britain was under world-record pace through the first half of the race, but Sun pulled slightly ahead approaching the 350-meter wall. Sun built a bigger lead over the final lap to clinch the victory. He sat on the lane line and clenched both fists in celebration.
Guy won silver in 3:43.75 and Ryan Cochrane of Canada took the bronze in 3:44.59.
This is the first of four individual events Sun, the world 1,500 freestyle record holder, will race in Kazan as well as the 200, 800 and the mile distance.
Having won the 400 and 1,500 freestyle Olympic titles at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Sun continued his domination of the endurance events by winning the 400, 800 and 1,500 world titles in Barcelona two years ago.
Just hours later, triple world-record holder Katie Ledecky of the United States also defended her 400 freestyle title to continue her domination of the distance events.
The 18-year-old, who holds the world records over 400, 800 and 1,500, led by two body lengths at the halfway stage and won gold in 3:59.13 to set a new championship record.
Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands claimed silver at 3.89 back with Australia’s Jessica Ashwood taking bronze at 4.21.
Ledecky’s victory gave the US its 100th gold medal in women’s events at all world aquatic championships.
Having won the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle Olympic titles at London 2012 while just 15 years old, Ledecky then completed the same set at the 2013 world championships when she ended up winning four gold medals including the 4x200 freestyle relay title.
Earlier, Sarah Sjoestrom of Sweden set a world record in the 100-butterfly semifinals.
Competing in the second semi last night, Sjoestrom won in 55.74 seconds. She broke the mark of 55.98 set by American Dana Vollmer at the 2012 London Olympics.
The final is tonight at Kazan Arena.
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