Race Video: Mireia Belmonte Follows 200 Fly Olympic Gold with Worlds Gold

2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
• Budapest, Hungary
• LCM (50m)
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In perhaps the most exciting race of the night, or at least in close contention with the thrilling men’s 100m freestyle final, Spain’s Mireia Belmonte gave her country their first gold in the women’s 200m butterfly in a very tight battle against Germany’s Franziska Hentke and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu. Belmonte is the defending Olympic champion in this event, and she proved her mettle in this final. In sixth after the 50, she moved up to second at the 100, then moved ahead with a gutsy 3rd 50. Belmonte held on, despite a very strong charge from Hentke.

Watch the race, courtesy of NBC Sports, below:

Write-up by Lauren Neidigh:

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• World Record: Liu Zige, 2:01.81, 2009
• Championship Record: Jessicah Schipper, 2:03.41. 2009
• Junior World Record: Suzaka Hasegawa, 2:06.29, 2017

1. GOLD: Mireia Belmonte, ESP, 2:05.26
2. SILVER: Franziska Hentke, GER, 2:05.39
3. BRONZE: Katinka Hosszu, HUN, 2:06.02

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu set the pace on the front half, leading with a 1:00.41 at the 100-mark. Spanish Olympic Champion Mireia Belmonte made a comeback on the 3rd 50, though, and held off a blistering 32.23 final split from Germany’s Franziska Hentke. At the finish, Belmonte got her hands to the wall first, touching in 2:05.26 to Hentke’s 2:05.39 to give the Spanish their first ever Worlds title in this event. Hosszu held on for 3rd in 2:06.02.

Korea’s An Sehyeon was just one place shy of the podium with a new Korean Record time of 2:06.67. Junior World Record holder Suzaka Hasegawa of Japan finished 6th in 2:07.43, just behind China’s Zhang Yufei (2:07.06).