FINA Live Blog :Swimming, Day 8 - Women's 400m individual medley: Hosszu wins second Barcelona gold

Katinka Hosszu (HUN) claimed her second gold medal of the FINA World Championships when she added the 400m individual medley title to the 200m IM she won on Day 2 in the pool. Hosszu, who had won the 400 IM in 2009, reclaimed the crown in style, leading throughout, inside world record pace until the concluding freestyle leg.

Fourth in the 400 IM at the 2012 London Olympics, Hosszu won the world crown in 4:30.41, holding off a stirring challenge from home favourite Mireia Belmonte (ESP), who could not catch the Hungarian on the freestyle and took the silver in 4:31.21. It was the third medal for each swimmer in the same three events, Hosszu bagging gold in the 200 and 400m IM and bronze in the 200m butterfly and Belmonte collecting silver in the 200m butterfly and 400 IM and bronze in the 200m IM. Elizabeth Beisel (USA), the defending 400 IM world champion and Olympic silver medallist, claimed the bronze in 4:31.69.

Double Olympic champion Shiwen Ye (CHN), who had ceded to Hosszu the 200 IM world crown she had won at 15 at the 2011 Shanghai Worlds, once again finished outside the medals. Ye, who won both Olympic IM titles at the 2012 Olympics, came fourth in the 200 event but fared worse in the 400m. She clocked 4:38.51 for seventh place, way outside the 4:28.43 world mark she set in London. Hannah Miley (GBR), silver medallist at the 2011 Worlds, was fifth in 4:34.16.


World Record: Shiwen Ye (CHN), 4:28.43 – July 28, 2012 in London (GBR)
Championships Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 4:30.31 – August 2, 2009 in Rome (ITA)
Best performance of the current season (since January 2013): Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 4:30.41 – August 4, in Barcelona (ESP)
2003-2011 winners in this event: 2003 – Yana Klochkova (UKR, 4:36.74); 2005 – Katie Hoff (USA, 4:36.07); 2007 – Katie Hoff (USA, 4:32.89); 2009 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN, 4:30.31); 2011 – Elizabeth Beisel (USA, 4:31.78)
The best in this event (1. most victories or 2. fastest time): Yana Klochkova (UKR, 2001 & 2003), Katie Hoff (USA, 2005 & 2007) and Katinka Hosszu (HUN, 2009 & 2013)
2012 Olympic podium: 1. Shiwen Ye (CHN, 4:28.43), 2. Elizabeth Beisel (USA, 4:31.27), 3. Xuanxu Li (CHN, 4:32.91)