World Championships: Jessicah Schipper Heads into 200 Fly Final as Woman to Beat

By John Lohn

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 28. WITH the home crowd lending its support, Australian Jessicah Schipper led the way into the championship final of the 200 butterfly with a showing of 2:07.72 in her prime event. The world-record holder and reigning silver medalist in the discipline, Schipper is hoping to bump up a spot on the podium from Montreal.

Two years ago, Schipper finished behind Poland's Otylia Jedrzejczak, but probably should have been awarded the gold medal. Video footage of the finish showed Jedrzejczak touching with one hand, but officials failed to make the disqualification. Since that time, Schipper has owned the event and set the world record at last summer's Pan Pacific Champs in 2:05.40.

The second-fastest qualifier was the United States' Kim Vandenberg, continually improving at the international level and now a factor for the medal. Jiao Liuyang of China (2:08.20) and Canada's Audrey Lacroix (2:08.42) were the third and fourth qualifiers while Jedrzejczak, comfortable in her semifinal, was fifth in a time of 2:08.57. The field is rounded out by Slovenia's Sara Isakovic (2:09.15) and Japan's Yuko Nakanishi and France's Aurore Mongel, in together at 2:09.21.

"It just makes me want to be a better swimmer, and wants to make me work even harder," Vandenberg said of squaring off with Schipper. "It's fantastic to swim against her, here in her home country, in her home pool."

Click Here to view event results PDF file.

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