Canadian swimteam news
January 12, 1998
PERTH, Australia--Chen Yan gave the controversial Chinese team its first swimming gold winning the 400 individual medley while Joanne Malar of Hamilton was seventh in opening day pool action Monday at the world swimming championships.
Yan clocked 4:36.66, well off the world record of 4:34.79 the 16-year-old star set in October in the China National Games. Ukraine's Yanna Klochkova was second in 4:38.60, and Japan's Yauko Tajima third in 4:39.45. Malar, who posted the fourth fastest time in heats, was seventh in 4:46.91.
"I had my best morning swim ever but I was a little off in the final,"said Malar, 22, who pre-qualified for the Commonwealth Games. "I was in lane six and the race for the medals was on the other side of the pool. Maybe if I was in the middle of that I could have done better, but I'm not sure. Seventh in the world in my books is still pretty good."
In the women's 100 freestyle, Jenny Thompson, the top U.S. women's swimmer in Olympic competition with five gold medals, took home the gold in 54.95 seconds. Slovakia's Martina Moravcova finished second in 55.09 and China's Shan Ying of China took the bronze medal in 55.10.
Shannon Shakespeare of Winnipeg was second in the B final for 10th overall in 56.30- her fastest time in an individual race- and Laura Nicholls of Waterloo, Ont., followed in fifth for 13th overall in 56.61.
"I was kind of hoping to go under 56 seconds but I'm not complaining," said Shakespeare, 20, who set the Canadian record of 56.05 leading off a relay at the 1996 Olympics. "I had a great turnaround from my morning swim in the final by improving my turns and last lap which made all the difference."
Unlike Shakespeare, Nicholls performed better in the morning missing her personal best time by 1/100ths of a second.
"I thought I could have gone faster in my final," said Nicholls, 19. "At a meet like this when everyone, in every race, is going so fast it's hard to stay focused on your race and not worry what the others are doing."
In the men's 200 freestyle, Michael Klim of Australia was inside Italian Giorgio Lamberti's world record of 1:46.69 after 150 metres but faded in stretch winning in 1:47.41. Italy's Massi Rosolino was second in 1:48.30, and Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands finished third in 1:48.65.
Morgan Knabe of Edmonton was 21st in the 100 breaststroke and Craig Hutchison 25th in the 200 freestyle.
Competition continues Tuesday with double Olympic bronze medallist Curtis Myden of Calgary in the 400 IM, Joanne Malar and Jessica Deglau in the 200 freestyle and Lauren Van Oosten of Nanaimo, B.C., and Tara Sloan of Calgary in the women's 100 breaststroke.
Louis Daignault, Canadian Sport News