Queenslanders Christian Sprenger and Cate Campbell are on top of the world following their gold-medal performances at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona.
Recreation and sport minister Steve Dickson said Christian and Cate were the standout performers with a gold medal each and a coveted world-championship title. ‘Queenslanders made up the majority of Australia’s total medal haul from the pool, securing six out of the nine individual medals and playing a role in all four of the relay teams that also medaled,’ he said.
Christian Sprenger put the Aussie swimmers on top of the medal dais for the first time at the world championships on night two of competition, surpassing London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Cameron Van Der Burgh in the men’s 100m breaststroke, in a blistering time of 58.79. ‘A member of the Australian team since 2006, this is Christian’s first individual gold medal at a major international meet, a great achievement,’ said Mr Dickson. ‘Christian also came within 0.01 of a second of becoming a dual world champion in the men’s 50m breaststroke, with South Africa’s Cameron Van Der Burgh clinching gold.
‘This meet has further established Christian as one of the best breaststroke swimmers in the world.’
The anticipation built when gold-medal favourite Cate Campbell took to the starting blocks in the women’s 100m freestyle. ‘Cate Campbell lived up to the hype and won gold in a time just outside her own Commonwealth record, finishing half a body length ahead of her nearest rival,’ said Mr Dickson. ‘Not only is Cate now world champion but alongside teammate James Magnussen from NSW, who won the men’s equivalent event, they have become the first Australians to hold both the women’s and men’s 100m freestyle titles since the 1960 Rome Olympic Games.’
Cate Campbell also added three silver medals to her personal tally while Alicia Coutts won five silver medals at the meet, the most medals of any Australian.
The women’s 4x200m relay team continued the silver streak; with four Queenslanders, Alicia Coutts, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Brittany Elmslie, swimming in the final.
In a pool of a different kind, the Australian women’s water polo team, the Aussie Stingers had an undefeated run into the gold-medal match against host nation Spain, with Queensland athletes Bronwen Knox (captain), Ashleigh Southern and Kelsey Wakefield on side. ‘It is fair to say the Stingers went into their gold-medal match with a great chance of taking out the title, having scored 88 goals in six matches and conceding only 23,’ said Mr Dickson.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be with the women going down to Spain 8–6.
‘They may not have been on the top of the podium at the end of the tournament, but the Stingers still achieved Australia’s best result at a World Championships since Melbourne in 2007 as well as their highest result on foreign soil since the inaugural gold medal victory in 1986.
‘The Stingers have also added a second silver medal to their total of four medals in the history of the world titles. They should be very proud of their achievement’.
2013 FINA World Championships – Australian Swim Team – Medalists
Three Gold, Ten Silver – 13 Medals in Total
- Gold – Christian Sprenger – 100m Breaststroke
- Gold – Cate Campbell – 100m Freestyle
- Gold – James Magnussen (NSW) – 100m Freestyle
- Silver – Alicia Coutts – 100m Butterfly
- Silver – Alicia Coutts – 200m Individual Medley
- Silver – Emily Seebohm – 100m Backstroke
- Silver – Christian Sprenger – 50m Breaststroke
- Silver – Belinda Hocking (VIC)– 200m Backstroke
- Silver – Cate Campbell – 50m Freestyle
- Silver – Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon (NSW), Alicia Coutts – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Silver – Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer, Brittany Elmslie, Alicia Coutts – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
- Silver – Emily Seebohm, Sally Foster (SA), Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell – 4x100m Medley Relay
- Silver – Ashley Delaney (VIC), Christian Sprenger, Tommaso D’Orsogna (ACT), James Magnussen (NSW)– 4x100m Medley Relay
2013 FINA World Championships – Women’s Water Polo team results
- Match 1: Australia 15 v New Zealand 4
- Match 2: Australia 14 v 5 China
- Match 3: Australia 16 v 1 South Africa
- Match 4: Australia 25 v 2 Uzbekistan
- Quarter Final: Australia 9 v 5 Greece
- Semi Final: Australia 9 v 6 Russia
- Gold Medal Match: Australia 6 v 8 Spain
Queensland athlete’s results
- Bronwen Knox (C) – 7 goals
- Ashleigh Southern – 12 goals
- Kelsey Wakefield (goal keeper) – saved 33 of the 58 goals shot she faced (57%)
