Sebastien Rouault seizes Men’s 1500m freestyle gold: Day three – 2011 USA Swimming Winter Nationals
Sebastien Rouault of France stunned the arena by winning gold medal of Men’s 1500m freestyle on day three of the 2011 USA Swimming Winter Nationals in Atlanta on Saturday, December 3rd.
The 25-year-old Rouault became apple of the eye of arena by outperforming his competitors in the distant freestyle swim. He reached the final round as second best swimmer behind Michael Klueh of Fast Swim Team-C, but he earned his way to the top of podium
by excelling in the final of 1500m event.
Unlike the preliminary rounds, where he followed the lead of Klueh, Rouault dictated terms to his competitors in the first lap and completed his first two rounds of the race with an effort of 1 minute and 56.77 seconds. He remained 1.80 seconds ahead of
Klueh, who covered the same distance in a time of 1 minute and 58.57 seconds.
Subsequently, the French swimmer cemented his place for top spot in the subsequent rounds, where he covered his initial 50 metres of the race in a time of 4 minutes and 58.63 seconds. He was in a lead of nearly six seconds ahead of his rival, who posted
a time of 5 minutes and 04.02 seconds for the similar distance.
With his persistent efforts, he sustained his lead in the next five rounds and posted a time of 10 minutes and 06.67 seconds for the 1000 metres while the 24-year-old Klueh reported a time of 10 minutes and 12.15 seconds.
Rouault met the expectations of his fans in the final five rounds, where he extended his lead to almost seven seconds and submitted a time of 15 minutes and 12.22 seconds for gold medal. He remained 7.10 seconds ahead of Klueh, who reached the podium for
silver medal by producing a time of 15 minutes and 19.32 seconds.
Meanwhile, Matias Koski of Dynamo Swim Club transpired as the third fastest swimmer of the distant freestyle swim by touching the wall in a time of 15 minutes and 26.47 seconds.
The crowd admired Rouault’s scintillating effort whereas the medal winners collected their accolades after the completion of session.
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