King Fights Off Efimova Surge To Retain 100m Breaststroke Title: Russian Moves Level With Jones’ Medal Haul


by LIZ BYRNES

23 July 2019, 06:00am

World Swimming Championships

Gwangju, Day 3 finals

 Lilly King Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant 

Women’s 100m breaststroke

Lilly King is never shy of giving you an opinion but tonight she let her swimming do the talking as she retained her 100m breaststroke title after once more eclipsing familiar foe Yuliya Efimova.

The American turned first at halfway on 30.29secs and although the Russian seemed to be on the brink of overhauling King, she fought back to touch in 1:04.93 with Efimova second on 1:05.49.

With victory King became the fourth woman to have claimed two 100m breaststroke titles while Efimova equalled 2008 Olympic champion Leisel Jones’ five-strong medal haul in this event.

Italian Martina Carraro won bronze in 1:06.36 after turning in seventh only to unleash a second 50 of 34.79, a split bettered only by King.

The American’s time was the fastest in the world in 2019 and sits sixth all-suits all-time, 0.80secs behind the world record she set at the 2017 worlds.

Top times all-suits

1 1:04.13 WORLDS17 King, Lilly, 1997, USA

2 1:04.35 WORLDS13 Meilutyte, Ruta, 1997, LTU

3 1:04.36 WORLDS17 Efimova*, Yulia, 1992, RUS

4 1:04.45 USOPNAUG Hardy, Jessica, 1987, USA

5 1:04.84 WORLDS09 Soni, Rebecca, 1987, USA

6 1:05.03 WORLDS17 Meili, Katie, 1991, USA

King, of Indiana University, moved level with Jones, China’s Luo Xuejuan and Rebecca Soni of the United States in winning two 100m breaststroke world titles.

more to follow

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