{"id":325368,"date":"2018-08-12T03:17:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T10:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=325368"},"modified":"2019-06-30T14:38:39","modified_gmt":"2019-06-30T21:38:39","slug":"kathleen-baker-crushes-200-back-final-at-pan-pacs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kathleen-baker-crushes-200-back-final-at-pan-pacs\/","title":{"rendered":"Kathleen Baker Crushes 200 Back Final At Pan Pacs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States has won its third straight gold medal on the last night of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo.\u00a0Kathleen Baker\u00a0<\/strong>took the 200 back final out hard and she never relinquished her lead. She was swimming against four other swimmers that joined her in the World Championship final last summer in Budapest and she showed no fear and dominated the rest of the field for the gold medal.<\/p>\n

Baker won the final at 2:06.14, breaking\u00a0Elizabeth Pelton<\/strong>‘s meet record of 2:07.48 from 2010. Baker held off a late push from Canada’s\u00a0Taylor Ruck<\/strong>, who finished with the silver at 2:06.41, out-touching\u00a0Regan Smith\u00a0<\/strong>for bronze. Smith was third at 2:06.46, slightly off her 2:06.43 from Nationals.<\/p>\n

Baker is now second in the world sitting behind Canada’s\u00a0Kylie Masse’s\u00a0<\/strong>2:05.98 from the Commonwealth Games. Baker is now tenth all-time in the event, moving past\u00a0Elizabeth Beisel\u00a0<\/strong>(2:06.18, 2012) and sitting just behind\u00a0Margaret Hoelzer\u00a0<\/strong>(2:06.09, 2008).<\/p>\n

Masse was slower in Tokyo with her 2:07.00 as she finished in fourth. The Australian duo of\u00a0Kaylee McKeown\u00a0<\/strong>(2:07.01) and Emily Seebohm\u00a0<\/strong>(2:07.12) ran out of gas as they finished fifth and sixth in the stacked final.<\/p>\n

Japan’s Natsumi Sakai\u00a0<\/strong>(2:08.18) and New Zealand’s\u00a0Ali Galyer\u00a0<\/strong>(2:10.26) also competed in the final.<\/p>\n

2018 World Rankings:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Kylie Masse<\/strong>, CAN, 2:05.98<\/li>\n
  2. Kathleen Baker<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.14<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Margherita Panziera<\/strong>, ITA, 2:06.18<\/li>\n
  4. Taylor Ruck<\/strong>, CAN 2:06.36<\/li>\n
  5. Regan<\/strong> Smith<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.43<\/li>\n
  6. Emily Seebohm<\/strong>, AUS, 2:06.82<\/li>\n
  7. Kaylee McKeown<\/strong>, AUS, 2:07.01<\/em><\/li>\n
  8. Daria Ustinova<\/strong>, RUS, 2:07.12<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    All-Time Rankings:<\/h3>\n

    7.\u00a0Maya DiRado<\/strong>, USA, 2:05.99 (2016)
    \n8. Belinda Hocking<\/strong>, AUS, 2:06.06 (2011)
    \n9.\u00a0Margaret Hoelzer<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.09 (2008)
    \n10.\u00a0Kathleen Baker<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.14 (2018)
    \n<\/em>11.\u00a0Elizabeth Beisel<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.18 (2012)
    \n11.\u00a0Margherita Panziera<\/strong>, ITA, 2:06.18 (2018)
    \n13.\u00a0Elizabeth Pelton<\/strong>, USA, 2:06.29 (2013)<\/p>\n

    \"200-back-women\"

    Photo Courtesy:<\/p><\/div>\n