Katinka Hosszu won the 200-meter individual medley Tuesday to complete a sweep of the IMs.
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Katinka Hosszu of Hungary celebrates her gold medal on the podium after winning the Olympic women’s 400m individual medley swimming final at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Rio de Janeiro August 6, 2016.
Having suffered a nightmare Olympics in London, where she started as a hot medal prospect but came away empty-handed, she led from start to finish and stormed down the final length with the crowd roaring her on to the record. “It’s really unreal. “It’s really weird”. “I’m just so glad I got my hand on the wall first”.
Hosszu’s withdrawal meant she can not now equal Australian swimmer Shane Gould – who won her three golds, a silver and a bronze in Munich in 1972.
Hosszu, the “Iron Lady” who withdrew from the 200 butterfly earlier on Tuesday to prepare for the individual medley final, is entered in one more individual event, the 200 backstroke.
“I have been training through the whole four years, I didn’t take off (for) more than a day. and it worked”.
Jessica Hardy, an Olympic medalist who used to train with Hosszu in Los Angeles wrote in the New York Times about being subjected to verbal and emotional abuse as a child, said, ‘I’ve seen a lot of inappropriate and not-O.K. behavior in Shane’.
“I can’t believe I won the 100 back”, Hosszu said.
He told CNN before last year’s world championship: “I want to create beauty that nobody else can express”.
“I know I can go faster, going faster is what brings excitement for me”.
The 27-year-old can become one of the first double gold medallists of this Games when she competes in the 100m backstroke – although Kathleen Baker goes into the final as the fastest qualifier.
Murphy’s winning time of 51.97 seconds was an Olympic record and just outside the world record of 51.94 set by compatriot Aaron Peirsol in 2009 when non-textile bodysuits were allowed.
American Maya DiRado finished with the bronze while countrywoman Melanie Margalis finished in fourth.
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“Feeling a little rusty this morning, trying to get back into the meet after a late night”, said Adrian, who had a late night on Sunday after winning the 4x100m freestyle relay in a lineup that included 19=times gold medal victor Michael Phelps.
