Showing no signs of letting up on her charge to swimming glory, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary won her second swimming gold of Rio 2016 on Monday, on a night when several Olympic records fell. Other short odds to win are Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (+500) and Maya DiRado (+2500).
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It was a second gold in Rio for Hosszu, the self-styled “Iron Lady” of swimming, after her world record-breaking victory in the 400 individual medley on Saturday.
The USA’s Ryan Murphy set a new Olympic record of his own to grab men’s 100m backstroke gold and extend his country’s remarkable domination of the event to six successive Games, a run dating back to Atlanta 1996.
Prior to these Games, she competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In the 2012 London Olympics, Hosszu’s gradual improvement continued as she placed: 4th in the 400m IM, 8th in the 200m IM and 9th in the 200m butterfly.
Melanie Margalis, the 24-year-old former Georgia Bulldog, finished in fourth place.
“This time I was fresh and in great shape”.
Australia’s world champion Mitch Larkin had led at the turn, 0.17 of a seconds inside world record pace, with Murphy only fourth. Both women were looking to continue the U.S. dominance in the event where they won three straight golds starting with Natalie Coughlin’s 04-08 double in Athens and Beijing, followed by Missy Franklin back in 2012.
“I can’t say that I’m happy, it’s just good that I was able to compete”, she said.
“I have been racing so much in the past four years that that was kind of my goal that when we get to Rio it would kind of be second nature and it really feels that way”. “Having three is really just a bonus”.
Hosszu still has the 200 back and 200 butterfly on her schedule.
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“That’s why I’m so upset that I didn’t manage it, I knew that lots of people were counting on me”.
