Swimming World Championships.. French Marchand grabs the spotlight and Australia takes the throne
Frenchman Leon Marchand sent messages in many directions about what he could achieve at the “Olympic Games”, next summer, in Paris, after he scored impressive results in the “World Swimming Championships”, and Australia ascended to the throne by overthrowing the hegemony of the Americans.
According to the “AFP”, the young French star made strong performances in the Japanese “Fukuoka”, where he won 3 gold medals, and at the same time broke the old record of American legend Michael Phelps in the 400-meter individual medley.
And the 21-year-old appeared with a cheerful personality inside and outside the basin, without showing any signs of confusion, so that France’s hopes and expectations for the Olympic Games that it will host next summer rise to high levels.
Marchand said he was “very happy” with what he achieved in Japan, where he was chosen as the best swimmer of the championships.
“Not everything was perfect, there are always things to improve,” he said, adding, “But I am very satisfied with what I did, this year.”
McKeown won the award for the best swimmer in the championship (AP)
For her part, Australian Kylie McKeown won the best swimmer award in the championship, after sweeping all the backstroke races.
McKeown was not the only one shining in the ranks of the Australian team, which equaled its previous record of 13 gold medals, to finish at the top of the overall standings, for the first time since 2001.
McKeown said the award was a reward for “how well we’ve done as a group on the Australian team”.
And she continued, “For me, as proud as I am, I feel I had to share that with my teammates.”
Australian Molly O’Callaghan became the first female swimmer to win the 100 and 200m freestyle events, and also won 5 gold medals.
The 19-year-old participated in 4 world records, whether individually or collectively, including setting a new record in the 200m freestyle race.
Titmos won a crazy victory in the 400-meter freestyle category (AFP)
Another Australian, Ariarn Titmus, shone after her crazy victory in the 400m freestyle category, beating American Katie Ledecky and Canadian Summer McIntosh, setting a world record.
Ledecky dusted herself off and compensated, by winning the gold medal in both the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle, which cemented her position as the most winning woman in the history of the world championships.
The 26-year-old swimmer said she wants to compete in the “Los Angeles Olympics 2028” and is likely to be a force to be reckoned with in the “Paris Olympics” before that time.
Ledecky helped the US team advance in the competition (Reuters)
Young American Team: Ledecky’s levels helped the US team advance in the closing days of the competition.
Ledecky believed that American youth, such as Jack Alexie, who won the silver medal in the men’s 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, would learn from this experience.
“It’s a really young team,” Ledecky explained. “The things I hear at the lunch table and at the dinner table are people learning a lot.”
And she continued, “We want to be better, next year, in Paris, so I think we will continue to encourage each other.”
In turn, China’s performances in neighboring Japan were better than last year’s edition in Budapest, when it won one gold in the singles.
The Chinese team won 5 gold medals, thanks in large part to the performance of the “new king” of breaststroke Haiyang Ken.
Kane has won all three breaststroke titles and will look forward to fighting Adam Peaty in Paris if the British swimmer returns to competition after a mental health break.
Romanian David Popovici left empty-handed after arriving in Fukuoka as the defending champion in the men’s 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle.
And the 18-year-old insisted that he would be “fine” in Paris 2024.
“After I take some time for myself, I clear my mind, and think about this strange, busy year I’ve had, I’m going back to the pool,” he said.
He continued, “Fortunately for me, unless it goes well here, it can be trained.”
Lithuanian Ruta Milutiti cemented her position by winning two gold medals in the breaststroke, and setting a world record.
Tunisian Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui also won two titles (800m and 1500m), and was close to beating Sun Yang’s 11-year-old world record in the 1,500m freestyle.
While Canadian Summer Mackintosh lost her world record, and failed to achieve a medal in the 400-meter freestyle race, but she managed to come out with two world titles.
The 16-year-old won the 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley, and said she “strategically learned a lot” from the competition.
“It’s always good to get positive and negative feedback on how to improve my racing,” she added.
2023-07-31 20:24:19
#martial #arts #tournament #adopts #schedule #competitions
