Matt Targett pockets Men’s 50m freestyle gold medal: 2011 Mare Nostrum Series – Monaco
Matt Targett of Australia has dominated his way to secure the gold medal in the Men’s 50m freestyle category at the 2011 Mare Nostrum Series, in Monaco.
Monaco is the final stop of the 2011 Mare Nostrum Series, which provides international swimmers with a chance to compete against each other before the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, this July.
Targett won the Men’s 50m event gold medal in an astounding time of 22.13 seconds. The champion was 0.24 seconds away from his closest competitor, Dominik Kozma. He was followed by Kozma of Hungary, who touched the wall for the silver medal, with a beautiful timing of 22.37 seconds.
The Australian swimmer is one of the most important freestyle swimmers of his nation, as he won two medals including a silver medal in the 4*100m medley relay and a bronze medal in the 4*100m freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In addition, the 25-year-old Targett pocketed a silver medal in the 50m butterfly and a bronze medal in the 4*100m medley relay at the 2009 Rome World Long Course Championships.
The Australian champion, who qualified into the final as the fastest swimmer, sustained his top qualification spot by achieving the gold medal of the 50m event. In the semi-finals, Targett and Kozma touched the wall in a same time of 22.44 seconds, to secure the fastest spot. They were followed by Kyle Richardson, who transpired as the third fastest swimmer, posting a time of 22.78 seconds.
Targett was the first swimmer to take-off from the diving blocks. His magnificent swimming strokes, coupled with his unique swimming strategy allowed him to pocket the gold medal and defeat his strongest competitor, Kozma.
The Australian champion was extremely happy with his gold winning effort in the meet and expressed that he aims to continue his dominating performance at the upcoming World Championships, in China. Targett added that he is working very hard to put up a good show in future events and qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
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