Americans, Australians excel at World Championships

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the first time in the event's history, the FINA World Swimming Championships were held on American soil, boasting a lineup of the world's top swimmers, many fresh off Olympic performances. \nAfter five days of grueling competition at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Americans and Australians showed they were still on top of the swimming world. \nThe United States set a Short Course World Championship record of 21 golds, the most for any country during a Short Course World Championship, surpassing the previous record of 12 set by Australia in 1995. The United States won a total of 40 medals during the championships, breaking the record set by Australia in 1999.\nAmerican swimmers also set several individual and team world records. Ian Crocker, who won four gold medals, set a world record in the men's 50-meter butterfly (22.71 seconds) and Aaron Peirsol, winner of 3 golds, set a new world record in the men's 200-meter backstroke (1 minute, 50.52 seconds). \n"Going into this, I had a pretty good inclination that I could do something like that," Peirsol said. "It's so easy when the crowd is behind you." \nIn the final event of the entire competition, the 4x100 relay team composed of Peirsol (backstroke), Brendan Hansen (breast), Crocker (butterfly) and Jason Lezak (free), earned a time of 3:25.09, breaking the world record of 3:25.28 set by swimmers from University of Texas earlier this year. \nHansen won four gold medals, becoming the first male ever to sweep all three breaststroke events (50m, 100m and 200m) at a Short Course Championship. \nAmerican Kaitlin Sandeno stunned the crowds by winning three golds in the first night alone (200m butterfly, 400m individual medley and the 4x200m freestyle). Sadeno would add the 400m freestyle Saturday to give herself four gold medals for the championships.\nAmerican Jenny Thompson, who swam competitively for 17 years, ended her career winning two golds, a silver and a bronze. Thompson finished her career with 84 medals in international competition, the most in the sport's history. \n"To me, it's more than the material things," Thompson said. "When they said tonight that I was an 'amazing person,' that means more to me than anything, more than medals ... I've really enjoyed representing my country, and I've tried to do it with the utmost dignity and integrity. I'll miss being that type of ambassador."\nMichael Phelps, who withdrew from competition because of back spasms, mustered out one gold for the United States in the 200m freestyle Thursday before returning home.\nThe United States was not the only country in this competition garnering top honors, with Australia displaying its swimming prowess as a formidable force.\nAustralian Brooke Hanson set a FINA World Championship record by winning her sixth gold medal of the meet with a win in the 200-meter breaststroke. Hanson won golds in the 50m breaststroke, 100m individual medley, 4x100m medley relay, 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley. The previous record of gold medals at a World Championship was five set by Le Jingyi of China in 1993 and American Neil Walker in 2000. \nIn setting the record, Hanson became only the fifth swimmer in history to win as many as six golds at a World Championship or Olympics. Former IU swimmer Mark Spitz won seven golds in 1972, while Kristin Otto of East Germany won six in 1988. \n"I just went out there and wanted to show the world that I want to be counted for," Hanson said. "I wanted to create history tonight. What I've achieved this week is amazing. It hasn't sunk in yet, and I don't think it's going to."\n-- Contact staff writer Kris Sanchack at ksanchac@indiana.edu.