Fu Yuanhui Paces 50 Back Prelims, Rachel Bootsma Out Sick at 2015 FINA World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

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China’s Fu Yuanhui paced the preliminary heats of the women’s 50-meter back at the 2015 FINA World Championships.

Fu, who holds the textile best in the event with a 27.22 from 2013, put up the top time of the morning with a 27.66.  She’s been faster this year with a 27.61, but she didn’t need that type of speed to top a relatively slower set of prelims.

Brazil’s Etiene Medeiros, the top-ranked swimmer in the world with a 27.38 from the Maria Lenk Trophy meet, took the second seed in 27.74, while 100 back victory Emily Seebohm of Australia earned the third seed in 27.75.

China’s Liu Xiang (27.79), Denmark’s Mie Nielsen (27.89) and Great Britain’s Lauren Quigley (27.94) also cleared 28 seconds to make the top seven.

France’s Beryl Gastaldello (28.02), Australia’s Madison Wilson (28.02), Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry (28.15), Russia’s Anastasia Fesikova (28.15), Italy’s Elena Gemo (28.18), Greece’s Theodora Drakou (28.35), Poland’s Aleksandra Urbanczyk (28.36), Croatia’s Sanja Jovanovic (28.40), France’s Mathilde Cini (28.46) and Russia’s Daria Ustinova (28.52) closed out the rest of the semifinal field.

USA’s Rachel Bootsma, one of the best sprint backstrokers in the world, wound up scratching the event after battling an illness since she first arrived in Kazan earlier this week.

SCHEDULED EVENTS

  • Women’s 50 back
  • Men’s 100 free
  • Women’s 200 fly
  • Men’s 200 IM
  • Mixed 400 medley relay
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