Meilutytės rekordą pagerino amerikietė Lilly King Pasaulio plaukimo čempionate

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Pasaulio plaukimo čempionate Budapešte Rūtai Meilutytei antradienį nepavyko priplaukti iki prizininkių pakylos. Moterų 100 m plaukimo krūtine finale triumfavo olimpinė čempionė amerikietė Lilly King, sykiu iš lietuvės nugvelbusi 2013 metais pasiektą pasaulio rekordą.

Distanciją amerikietė nuplaukė per 1 min. 04,13 sek. ir pagerino ketverius metus olimpinei, pasaulio ir Europos čempionei R. Meilutytei priklausiusį planetos rekordą (1:04,35). Sidabro medalį čempionate iškovojo kita JAV sportininkė Katie Meili (1:05,03), bronza turėjo tenkintis rusė Julija Jefimova (1:05,05). Dvidešimtmetė R. Meilutytė, po 50 metrų plaukusi ketvirta, tokią pat vietą išlaikė ir iki finišo. Jos laikas – 1:05,65 min.

Meilutyte is not Surprised to see Lilly King Improve her World Record

RUTA Meilutyte saw her world record taken off her at the FINA World Championships in Budapest on Tuesday – but there were no regrets for the former Plymouth Leander swimmer after she came fourth in the women’s 100 metres breaststroke final.

The 2012 Olympic champion, who moved back from Devon to train in her native Lithuania early this year, has been looking to rediscover the form that saw her dominate the breaststroke scene for three years after her breakthrough at the London Games.

On Tuesday, she was the third-fastest qualifier for arguably the most anticipated race of the meet as Russia’s Yuliya Efimova – who was controversially allowed to compete at last year’s Olympic Games after a second failed drugs test – and Rio de Janeiro champion Lilly King went head-to-head.

Both opponents had come close to Meilutyte’s world record of one minute 04.35 seconds, set at the World Championships in Barcelona in 2013, in the semi-finals, with the 20-year-old Lithuanian also looking to be back near her best.

Having delivered 1:05.06 in the semi-finals, however, Meilutyte could only manage 1:05.65 in the final, more than a second behind the United States’ King, who lowered the world record to 1:04.13 with a blistering swim.