Swimming: Tao Li wins bronze, Thorpe 7th in World Cup
Local swimmer Tao Li won bronze with a time of 57.02 seconds in the women’s 100 metres butterfly final at the Singapore leg of the FINA/Arena World Cup on Friday. Sweden’s Alshammar Therese timed 56.03 seconds to win gold while China’s Jiao Liu Yang got silver with a time of 56.89 seconds. Tao Li said: “I do have expectations for medals but it must be step by step to getting the medals….it is pretty tough…..but Olympics medals is much tough for me.”
In the final of the men’s 100 metres individual medley, five-time Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe finished seventh as he made his return to competition after five years out of the sport. The 29-year-old Australian timed 56.33 seconds to finish second-last in an event he rarely swam before his retirement. South African Chad Le Clos won the race with a time of 53.06 seconds.
Thorpe started well with the butterfly leg before losing ground on the backstroke and then struggling with the breaststroke. “I was really happy with (my performance) for the first 50m…..and then the breaststroke happened, it wasn’t so good,” said Thorpe, referring to the medley’s third leg. “But I am glad that I was able to swim a bit faster in the final tonight than I had in the heat.” Thorpe will take part in the 100m butterfly on Saturday as he kicks off his quest to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
OK, remember when I said that the U.S. still rules when it comes to swimming? Judging from this, I may be wrong. 🙁