Croatia's Gordon Kozulj Wins silver in world swimming championships
Agence France-Presse
Barcelona, July 26
King of distance Grant Hackett remained on course for a third straight 1500m title at the world swimming championships here on Saturday when he led the way into the finals.
Hackett, winner of the 800m freestyle on Friday, will become just the second person ever to win three consecutive titles in the same event after being pipped as the first by Aussie teammate Ian Thorpe earlier in the competition.
Thorpe won his third straight 400m freestyle title last weekend.
Hackett timed 15:08.79 in the heats for the fastest time ahead of Britain's Graeme Smith, the runner-up last time, who timed 15:12.74.
The 23-year-old Hackett is Olympic, world, Pan Pacific, Commonwealth and seven-time Australian champion and world record holder over the 1500 metres freestyle at both long and short course.
He remains unbeaten in the event since 1997, producing one of the greatest all-time performances during the 2001 world championships in Japan to shatter Kieren Perkin's long-standing record in 14:34.56.
Earlier Britain's Alison Sheppard lead the way into the women's 50m freestyle semi-finals ahead of world record holder and defending champion Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands.
Sheppard timed 25.16 to de Bruijn's 25.26 with American Jenny Thompson third fastest in 25.27.
Britain also led the way in the 50m breaststroke with Zoe Baker timing 31.10, ahead of Australian Brooke Hanson in 31.24 followed by defending champion Luo Xuejuan of China in 31.29.
In the men's 50m backstroke heats, Croatia's Gordon Kozulj, winner of a silver medal in Friday's 200m backstroke, failed to make the semi-final cut.
Thomas Rupprath lead the way in a new championship record of 25.19 ahead of fellow German Steffen Driesen in 25.48 with defending champion Randall Bal of the United States third in 25.53. Kozulj was 31st fastest in 26.48.
The United States women's 4x100m medley relay team are bidding for a sweep of the relay titles after they led the way into the finals in 4:04.06 ahead of Germany in 4:04.58 and China in 4:04.95 with defending champions Australia fourth fastest in 4:05.31.
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Kozulj osvojio srebro
Hrvatska je u petak naveèer u la u probrano dru tvo medu samo 24 zemlje
koje su (zasad) osvojile medalju na Svjetskom prvenstvu u vodenim sportovima
u Barceloni. U tu elitnu skupinu uveo nas je sjajni Gordan Ko ulj svojim
blistavim uspjehom u utrci na 200 metara ledno. Nakon to je dan prije s
hrvatskim rekordom (1:57.94) kao treci u ao u finale, juèer se popeo stubu
vi e. Ponovno je plivao ispred rekorda i s rezultatom 1:57.47 zauzeo drugo
mjesto, odmah iza, èini se, nedosti nog Amerikanca Aarona Peirsola, koji je
s vremenom 1:55.92 osvojio drugo zlato na prvenstvu. Ko uljeva taktika
dijelom se i temeljila na praæenju Peirsola.
- Na 100 metara sam vidio da mi ne bje i puno i to me ohrabrilo. Ovo mi
je san snova. Meni je SP isto kao olimpijske igre, ovdje u Barceloni su
doista svi najbolji plivaèi svijeta ili barem oni koji su u ovom trenutku
spremni. Biti drugi u svijetu, sjajno je i ovo mi je najveæi uspjeh u
karijeri - kazao je Ko ulj.
Bio je blizu medalji i u Fukuoki i Sydneyju, ali neka kola se morala
proæi. Gordan nije odustajao, njegov nalet na svjetsko postolje ovaj put je
bio nezadr iv. Samo je nakon prvih 50 metara bio èetvrti, a nakon toga se
probio na drugo mjesto i tu ostao.
- Sad su se sve moje rtve isplatile. U Sydneyju sam nekako bio mlad i
neiskusan, malo me ponijela atmosfera i èekivanja. Sad sam iskusniji, znao
sam se prije utrke smiriti.
Nakon slu bene konferencije i dodatnog razgovora s hrvatskim novinarima
oti ao je na doping kontrolu. A danas ce, ako bude sreæe, nastupiti i na 50
metara.
