SPORTS

Hungary's Hosszu claims second gold; wins 100m backstroke

August 09, 2016 08:04 IST

IMAGE: Katinka Hosszu of Hungary celebrates winning Gold in the Women's 100m Backstroke. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images.

Katinka Hosszu of Hungary won the women's Olympic 100 meters backstroke on Monday to claim her second gold of the Rio Games, edging out Kathleen Baker of the United States.

Canada's Kylie Masse and China's Fu Yuanhui tied for bronze, with the top four separated by just 0.31 seconds.

Australian world champion Emily Seebohm, swimming in an outside lane, set the early pace but Hosszu powered her way through the field in the last half of the race to touch the wall in 58.45 seconds.

IMAGE: Gold medalist Katinka Hosszu of Hungary poses during the medal ceremony. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images .

Baker, who qualified fastest for the final, clocked 58.75, to finish a hundredth of a second ahead of Masse and Fu.

It was a second gold in Rio for Hosszu, the self-styled 'Iron Lady' of swimming, after her world record-breaking victory in the 400 individual medley on Saturday.

The 27-year-old, who is also in the 200 backstroke, butterfly and medley, had come away empty-handed from three previous Olympics, despite winning five world championships titles.

Seebohm, silver medalist in London in 2012, had achieved the second-fastest time in the heats but qualified for the final in seventh.

She faded in the closing stages on Monday to finish seventh.

Missy Franklin of the United States, the 2012 Olympic champion at 100m, was reduced to a spectator, having failed to qualify in the event for Rio at the US trials.

Franklin was in tears earlier after failing to make the final of the 200 freestyle, but has another chance in the 200 backstroke, in which she also won gold in London.

Source: REUTERS
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