World Championships, Day Eight Finals: Kliment Kolesnikov Blazes to Title in 50 Backstroke; Tie for Silver
There was no doubt who was the favorite to capture the gold medal in the 50-meter backstroke on the final night of the World Championships in Singapore. Through the years, Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov has been a dominant force in the event, not only as the world-record holder, but the owner of nine of the top-11 times in history.
Now, he has a world title to his credit.
Blasting to the lead off the start, Kolesnikov overwhelmed the field and claimed the gold medal in the backstroke sprint in 23.68. That times was not far off his world record of 23.55 and was equal to the second-fastest performance of all-time. The Russian prevailed by nearly a half-second, an eternity in the 50-meter event. There was a tie for the silver medal behind Russia’s Pavel Samusenko and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze, who produced matching swims of 24.17.
This year marks Kolesnikov’s first appearance at the World Championships since the 2019 edition in Gwangju, due to a ban on Russian athletes for their country’s invasion of Ukraine. Kolesnikov was also locked out of the 2024 Olympic Games, but he has continued to excel in domestic competition.
For Coetze, his silver medal capped a 3-for-3 podium showing in the backstroke events. Earlier in the week, Coetze won gold in the 100 backstroke and silver in the 200 backstroke. In all three events, he established African records.
More to come…
