Women's 100m Breaststroke : LUO (CHN) wins gold from Lane 1 16 Aug. 2004
ATHENS, 16 August - China's LUO Xuejuan emphatically put her semifinal form behind her to win gold from Lane 1 in the Women's 100m Breaststroke final, relegating world record holder Leisel JONES (AUS) to a disappointing third at the Olympic Aquatic Centre.
LUO, the 2001 and 2003 world champion, was the seventh fastest qualifier for the final and was not expected to figure on the podium. Ignoring the pundits, she took advantage of a sluggish start from JONES to cruise to victory over the last 25 metres in a time of 1:06.64.
JONES's misery was compounded when she allowed teammate Brooke HANSON to touch her out for silver. The 26-year-old HANSON was appearing in her first Olympic Games.
The 18-year-old JONES was silver medallist in Sydney four years ago.
Amanda BEARD (USA), silver medallist at the 2003 World Championships, finished in fourth place, while the second fastest qualifier to the final, Germany's Sarah POEWE, finished fifth.
ons imc/jb
ATHENS, 16 August - China's LUO Xuejuan emphatically put her semifinal form behind her to win gold from Lane 1 in the Women's 100m Breaststroke final, relegating world record holder Leisel JONES (AUS) to a disappointing third at the Olympic Aquatic Centre.
LUO, the 2001 and 2003 world champion, was the seventh fastest qualifier for the final and was not expected to figure on the podium. Ignoring the pundits, she took advantage of a sluggish start from JONES to cruise to victory over the last 25 metres in a time of 1:06.64.
JONES's misery was compounded when she allowed teammate Brooke HANSON to touch her out for silver. The 26-year-old HANSON was appearing in her first Olympic Games.
The 18-year-old JONES was silver medallist in Sydney four years ago.
Amanda BEARD (USA), silver medallist at the 2003 World Championships, finished in fourth place, while the second fastest qualifier to the final, Germany's Sarah POEWE, finished fifth.
ons imc/jb
