Lana Pudar Did Not Expect a 200 Fly Bronze Medal at Age 15

2021 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Reported by Michael Hamann.

Women’s 200 Fly Final

  • World Record: 1:59.61 – BELMONTE Mireia (ESP) 3 DEC 2014
  • Championship Record: 1:59.61 – BELMONTE GARCIA Mireia (ESP) 3 DEC 2014
  • World Junior Record: 2:02.96 – HASEGAWA Suzuka (JPN) 14 JAN 2017

Top 8 finishers:

  1. Yufei Zhang (CHN): 2:03.01
  2. Charlotte Hook (USA): 2:04.35
  3. Lana Pudar (BIH): 2:04.88
  4. Svetlana Chimrova (RUS): 2:05.65
  5. Anastasiia Markova (RUS): 2:06.29
  6. (TIE) Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN)/Illaria Cusinato (ITA): 2:06.82
  7. —-
  8. Maria Ugolkova (SUI): 2:07.01

China’s Yufei Zhang took the world title in the women’s 100 fly, touching first in 2:03.01. Zhang was out very fast in 58.62, touching almost a full second clear of the field at the halfway point. She then posted the field’s fastest 3rd 50 of 31.75 and while she faded slightly on the final 50 her lead proved to be insurmountable.

The United States’ Charlotte Hook charged hard on the second half, moving from 8th at the 50 and 6th at the 100 to grab the silver medal in 2:04.35. The Stanford commit and high school senior was the only swimmer in the field to split 31 seconds on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Lana Pudar took home the bronze in 2:04.88, breaking her own national record by a full second. The bronze also signifies history for the small European nation as Pudar becomes the country’s first-ever World Championship medalist.

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Aquajosh
2 years ago

She’s already at a 57.3 LC, so if she continues to develop and can get down to a 56 low, I see her challenging Yufei in the 200 fly. She seems much more suited to the 2fly than the 100.

SwimReason
2 years ago

Fenomenal young swimmer. The next “Madame Butterfly”?

The condors were robbed
2 years ago

Future legend

jeff
2 years ago

congrats to her! did not know who she was so I looked her up and wow, 57.3 in the LCM 100 fly just months after turning 15

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Coleman Hodges

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