Singapore, July 28 (IANS) Qin Haiyang claimed the men’s 100-meter breaststroke title on Monday, securing China’s first swimming gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Qin, 26, touched the wall in 58.23 seconds, edging out Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi by 0.35 seconds. Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan took the bronze in 58.88.

Qin had stunned the swimming world at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships, where he captured four gold medals, including three in breaststroke. However, he missed the 2024 Doha Worlds and left that year’s Paris Olympic Games without an individual title, reports Xinhua.

“This definitely helps with confidence,” Qin said. “Winning this gold isn’t something that comes easily for me. It means a lot.”

Still recovering from injury, Qin admitted he was not yet at his best. “I’ve been injured, and I’m probably at 70 percent of my peak form. It takes time to fully recover.”

A key member of China’s gold-winning medley relay team in Paris, Qin has now set his sights on individual Olympic glory at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028,” he said. “There are still a few years to go, and I hope I can keep chasing my dream – to win Olympic gold in this event.”

Meanwhile, in the women’s 100m butterfly, Gretchen Walsh tore the record books apart in short-course competitions after setting nine world records at the World Short Course Championships in December. The first woman to go inside 55 seconds in the 100m butterfly in long course, Walsh swam 54.73, the second fastest in history – a new championships record. She also won the first gold medal of the swimming programme for Team USA.

This is also the first individual gold medal for Walsh at the World Championships or Olympics, after she won silver in this event at last year’s Games in Paris, despite coming in as the world record holder.

Belgium’s Roos van Otterdijk had a huge swim in winning silver at 55.84, moving herself up to eighth all-time and the ninth woman to break 56 seconds. Van Otterdijk, who is a rising star for Belgium, won her nation’s first swimming medal at the World Aquatics Championships since Fred Deburghgraeve won the 100m breaststroke in Perth in 1998.

Australia’s Alexandria Perkins (56.33) also won her first career individual medal at the World Championships after four medals in relays at last year’s championships in Doha. Perkins was just off her best time, but held off the 2023 World champ Zhang Yufei (56.47) of China.

The 2024 World champion, Angelina Kohler (56.57), finished sixth behind Daria Klepikova (56.53). 2022 World Junior champ Mizuki Hirai (56.83) of Japan, and Yu Yiting (57.36) also swam in the championship final.

In the men’s 50m butterfly, France’s Maxime Grousset took the World title at 22.48 to move himself up to fourth all-time at age 26. Grousset, like Walsh and Qin, received a little bit of redemption after he won the 100m butterfly World title in 2023 but was unable to replicate that at a home Olympics last year, finishing off the podium entirely in the 100m in Paris.

Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, who dominated this event in short-course meters last year, setting the world record four times in 2024, was leading for about 35 meters before Grousset got the touch. Alas, Ponti won his first career World Championships medal in long course at 22.51, moving himself up to fifth all-time at age 24.

–IANS

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