World Championships, Day Three Finals: Lilly King Wins First Gold In 100 Breaststroke: Ruta Meilutyte DQ’d

Lilly King: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

A Special Thanks to Deep Blue Media for providing the images from this meet

World Championships, Day Three Women’s Finals: Lilly King Wins First Gold In 100m Breaststroke: Ruta Meilutyte DQd

Lilly King won her first short-course gold over 100m breaststroke but Ruta Meilutyte was DQ’d for two butterfly kicks at the start of the race at the World Championships in Melbourne.

Link to results

King led the semis, 0.07 ahead of Meilutyte with the pair the only women inside 1:04 and the promise of a real heavyweight clash to come.

The American came past the Lithuanian in the final metres with a final 25 of 16.90 to take the title in 1:02.67, only for Meilutyte to be disqualified with only one downward fly kick prior to the first breaststroke kick after the start permitted.

It elevated Tes Schouten to silver in 1:03.90 and Anna Elendt of Germany to third (1:04.05).

It was King’s fifth world short-course gold but her first in the 100m and the second swiftest time of her career, eclipsed only by her 1:02.50 American record from the 2020 ISL.

Splits:

13.48/29.24/45.77/1:02.67

The five-time Olympic medallist won silver behind the joint world record-holder Alia Atkinson – the now-retired Jamaican – at the Windsor edition months after winning gold in Rio.

King said:

“I glad it looked good because it hurt a lot.

“I talked with my coach Ray (Looze) this morning and he told me I needed to be out first at the 50m. I don’t know that I was, but I went out as hard as I could and prayed I could hold out at the end.

“I am supposed to not look left to right, but I do. I definitely had her (the other swimmers) in the corner of my eye but I am working at trying not to move my head at all

“It’s great to be back. In 2016, I was at the meet and I thought I was invincible and Alia (Atkinson) played me like a fiddle and whipped my butt. I have had that sour taste in my mouth for the last six years and its good to get the title back.”

Schouten has been on fine form in recent weeks with Dutch 100-200br records in the long-course pool and Thursday’s time of 1:03.90 sliced 0.06 off Moniek Nijhuis‘ standard of 1:03.96 from the 2014 Doha worlds.

She said:

“I’m so happy. When I touched the board I didn’t know what to think. I was trying to look at the lights on the blocks, and I thought I wasn’t even getting a medal. And then I looked at the board, and I was like what! How did I not see that!

“I’m really happy. Yesterday I went 1:04.2, and then in the afternoon 1:04.3, and I knew I could go faster, but to swim 1:03 is wow!”

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Jos van Kuijeren

1 year ago

Great to read this story. Thanks