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Popov wins again at championships
Posted: Wednesday July 05, 2000 04:09 PM
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) -- Alexander Popov took the early lead and held on to win the men's 100-meter freestyle final Wednesday for his second gold medal in the European Swimming Championships. The Russian's winning time was 48.61 seconds, well off the world record of 48.21 he set in Monte Carlo six years ago. His time was also slower than in the semifinals Tuesday, when he set a championship record of 48.34 in swimming's premier event. Already after the first 50 meters, Popov was .20 off his world record pace, clocking an intermediate time of 23.53. "I did it again, but no world record today," he said. "But I'm going to participate in the 50 free, too." The final in shortest sprint distance is scheduled for Sunday, the last day of the 12-da championships. A world record was not on Popov's mind when he made up his race plan. "There are some races when you go fast and some races that you only want to win," he said. "I did not plan to go fast today. I had different tactics. If I had gone fast today, I would have had at least two men riding on my waves." Popov joined Swedes Anna-Karin Kammerling and Therese Alshammar, who won the women's 100 free Wednesday, as the only double gold medalists so far in Helsinki's new Makelanrinne Swimming Center. A 28-year-old based in Canberra, Australia, Popov has won both the 50 and 100 free in all major championships, including the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. When he repeated his 100 gold in Atlanta four years ago, he joined Americans Johnny Weismuller (1924 and 1928) and Duke Kanhanamoku (1912 and 1920) as the only men to win the race twice. Popov, who swam the last leg on Russia's champion quartet in the men's 400 free relay Monday, won four consecutive European 100 free titles starting in 1991. But his streak was broken last year by Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, who finished second Wednesday in 48.77. "I'm very happy with my time and the silver medal," van den Hoogenband said. "I'm very tired after training hard recently. I was not able to give Popov a better fight this time." Popov, a bronze medalist last year in the 50 free also won by van den Hoogenband, said the Dutch swimmer could be a dangerous opponent in the Syndey Olympics in September. "Pieter is in a different stage," Popov said. "He's in training condition." Sweden's Lars Frolander won the bronze medal in 49.24. In other events Wednesday, Alshammar broke the seven-year championship record with a time of 54.41 in the women's 100 free. Germany's Franziska van Almsick, who didn't enter the championships, held the old meet record of 54.57. Martina Moravcova of Slovakia was only .04 behind Alshammar in the closest finish so far in these championships. Mette Jacobsen of Denmark finished third in 55.31. Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands set the world mark of 53.80 in late May. But de Bruijn, who broke or tied seven world records in three weeks beginning in late May, decided to keep on training for the Olympics in the United States and did not enter the championships. Massimiliano Rosolino of Italy won the men's 200 medley and Agnes Kovacs of Hungary won the women's 100 breaststroke in the other swimming finals Wednesday. Rosolino won in 2:00.62, followed by German Christian Keller with 2:02.02 and Xavier Marchand of France with 2:02.06. Finland's Jani Sievinen, the world-record holder and world champion in 1994, surprisingly failed to make the final. Kovacs won her third straight European title, clocking 1:08.38. Sylvia Gerasch of Germany (1:09.28) and Svetlana Bondarenko of Ukraine (1:09.81) were the other podium finishers. The first gold medal of the day went to Russian Svetlana Timoshinina, who won the women's 10-meter platform diving with 482.34 points. Ute Wetzig of Germany was second with 476.73, followed by Olena Zhupina of Ukraine with 475.86. "The competition was very hard to the end," Timoshinina said. "The last round was decisive. I'm tired but happy."
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