World University Games: Kennedy Noble Tops Leah Shackley in 100 Back
Sunday at the World University Games shaped up as a big day for Leah Shackley. It started well for her NC State teammate her expense.
Kennedy Noble set the meet record in the final of the women’s 100 backstroke, going 58.78 to edge her American and college teammate in Rhine-Ruhr. Shackley, who won the 200 back with Noble getting silver, was second in 59.13. Shackley also has the 100 butterfly semifinals later in the session.
All the action:
Men’s 100 freestyle semifinals
Only one American will go through to the final, and he’ll be chasing Pieter Coetze. Coetze led the way in prelims with a time of 48.30 seconds, .04 ahead of Matt King. King won the first semifinal, with Coetze winning the second.
Five of the eight swimmers in the first semifinal made it through, including Neutral Athletes Dmitrii Zhavoronkov and Aleksandr Shchegolvev. The second heat was top heavy, with Patrick-Sebastian Dinu going 48.47 for the third-fastest time overall.
The second American, Camden Taylor, finished eighth in the second semifinal in 49.37.
Women’s 100 backstroke
Leah Shackley was quickest to the 50-meter mark, but Kennedy Noble beat hear coming home. Noble’s final 50 meters were covered in 30.28 to Shackley’s 30.81. Noble’s time of 58.78 downs the meet record set a day earlier by Shackley in 58.97. Entering the meet, it had belonged to Katharine Berkoff at 59.29 from the 2019 edition of the meet.
The Americans were the only two under a minute. The bronze medal went to Eunji Lee of South Korea in 1:00.23. She was second at the wall and held off the charge by Camila Rodriguez Rebelo of Portugal, whose 30.76 on the final 50 got her within a tenth of the podium. Ashley McMillan finished fifth.
Men’s 1,500 freestyle
Men’s 200 breaststroke
Women’s 100 butterfly semifinals
Men’s 50 backstroke semifinals
Men’s 200 butterfly
Women’s 200 breaststroke semifinals
Women’s 800 freestyle relay
