Caitlin Leverenz clinches Women’s 200m IM heats: Day one – 2011 FINA World Championships
Caitlin Leverenz of USA won the qualifying rounds of Women’s 200m Individual Medley (IM) on the first day of the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, on Sunday, July 24.
The current World Swimming Championship is the 14th FINA organised Long Course meet, where international swimmers are competing against each other to defend their titles.
Leverenz won the first round of the 200m IM, by submitting a time of 2 minutes and 11.01 seconds. She was slightly away from her subsequent swimmer, Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain, who stayed only 0.37 seconds behind her and clocked a wonderful time of
2 minutes and 11.38 seconds. Garcia was followed by Hungarian swimmer, Katinka Hosszu, who stayed only 0.15 seconds behind her and impressed the arena with her third fastest effort of 2 minutes and 11.53 seconds.
Leverenz also overpowered the effort of the crowd’s favourite and world record holder, Ariana Kukors, but stayed almost five seconds behind Kukors’s mark of 2 minutes and 06.15 seconds.
Shiwen Ye of China was the fourth fastest swimmer of the event, as she acquired fourth fastest spot of the swim, with a timing of 2 minutes and 11.63 seconds. Her time was only 0.01 seconds away from her closest competitor, Alicia Coutts, who captured the
sixth qualifying spot, by posting a time of 2 minutes and 11.64 seconds. In the meantime, 22-year-old Kukors completed her four-lap swim in the sixth fastest place, as she stayed only 0.20 seconds behind Coutts and reported in a time of 2 minutes and 11.84
seconds.
She was followed Hannah Miley of Great Britain, who managed to enter the semi-final with a seventh fastest timing of 2 minutes and 11.95 seconds. Stephanie Rice was the eighth best finalist of the 200m IM, as she stayed only 0.73 seconds behind Miley and
ended her swim in a time of 2 minutes and 12.68 seconds.
Furthermore, these swimmers will face each other once again in the second session, where the athletes dominating the semi-final will proceed towards the final round.
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