It had been nearly three years since Jack Conger had won a major swimming medal in the 100-meter backstroke. The rising Texas junior last stepped upon the podium for the event at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Championships when he won gold and posted the fastest time ever by an American junior.
But in the years since, Conger faded from the national spotlight in the event. His national age group records in yards and meters were broken by age group rival Ryan Murphy, a now two-time NCAA champion in the event for California who won bronze last summer at the Pan Pacific Championships. And the Rockville native last posted a best time two years ago as a leadoff leg of a medley relay.
Conger took a step back in the right direction in the stroke that made him a junior and high school star at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea, on Sunday night. Conger finished third in the men’s 100 backstroke final to win his second medal of the eight-day competition, adding a bronze to his opening-day gold and picking up the first medal of the session for Team USA.
[Watch race videos from Day 2 of the 2015 World University Games]
Junya Hashegawa of Japan and Christopher Ciccarese of Italy finished 1-2 in 53.77 and 53.92 seconds, respectively. Conger was third in 54.09, edging compatriot Jacob Pebley by .13 seconds.
The 20-year-old Nation’s Capital swimmer isn’t likely to be happy with the swim — a slow start, a poor turn — despite posting his third-fastest time ever, but finding the podium again is encouraging for Conger, who looked ready to drop the backstroke event after a dismal U.S. nationals last summer, when he failed to reach the championship final in the event.
More importantly, however, the difference between bronze and gold is easily fixable for Coach Eddie Reese in the year leading up to U.S. Olympic trials, where Conger is expected to vie for a spot on the Rio Olympic team in several events — potentially even this one.
Lisa Bratton won the United States’ other medal of the night, claiming gold in the women’s 200 backstroke in 2:09.31. Simona Baumrtova of the Czech Republic took silver (2:10.53) and Japan’s Yuka Kawayoke bronze (2:11.60).
[Jack Conger, U.S. make strong opening statement at World University Games]
Bratton built her race about as well as possible, taking over the lead from Baumrtova, who had led from the start, in the final length of the race. The performance moves Bratton into 11th in the world this season, and second among Americans.
After a red-white-and-blue gilded night Saturday, six different nations won gold in the competitions second day. The United States remained atop the medal standings with four golds and two bronze (six total), while Japan moved up to firmly secure second with one gold, two silvers and two bronze (five total).
The Americans gold medal streak ended in the night’s opening event when they were shutout of the medals altogether in the men’s 800 freestyle. Sergii Frolov of Ukraine took gold in a world No. 3 time of 7:50.28, edging Great Britain’s Jay Lelliott by .69 seconds.
[2015 World University Games: Links, schedule and results]
Japan’s Ayatsugu Hirai finished third in 7:52.77, nearly moving himself into contention for gold after trailing the leaders by more than three body lengths earlier in the race. Janardan Burns of Cal held third position throughout the race’s first half before giving way to the hard-charging Japanese swimmer.
China’s Ying Lu set a meet record in winning the women’s 50 butterfly in 25.72. Russia’s Svetlana Chimrova was second, followed by Australian Holly Barratt.
Henrique de Souza Martins of Brazil won the men’s event in 23.22, with Belarus’s Yauhen Tsurkin (23.44) and Italy’s Piero Codia (23.48) finished for silver and bronze.
The second final of the night, the Americans were pushed out of the medals again. Andrew Seliskar, a Nation’s Capital product and future Cal Bear, started well before fading to eighth. Matthew Josa, the other American in the field who will redshirt his junior season at Queen’s College of Charlotte next season, finished fifth.
Kazakstan’s Dmitriy Balandin won gold in the men’s 100 breaststroke in 59.96, the only swimmer to dip under the 1-minute barrier. Great Britain rounded out the podium with James Wilby (1:00.28) and Craig Benson (1:00.33) finishing second-third.
In the semifinal heats, Cal’s Josh Prenot qualified first overall in the men’s 200 individual medley in a strong 1:59.21.
Prenot rocketed from fifth to first during the breaststroke leg and looked as if he’d shut himself down as he cruised through the freestyle length. He was unable to improve his world ranking of 19th, still a quarter of a second back from his season best, but appears in position to do so in Monday’s final.
The United States advanced first and third, as Michigan’s Kyle Whitaker won the second semifinal in 1:59.69, also using a powerful breaststroke leg to move into position to take the heat. Justin James of Australia broke up the pair with a 1:59.29 out of the first heat.
In the women’s 100 breast, Lillia King of Indiana blasted a world top 20 time in winning the first semifinal heat, touching in 1:07.21. That swim moves King ahead of Breeja Larson as the third fastest American in the world this year.
King will advance to the final as the No. 2 seed after Mina Matsushima of Japan stroked to a quick 1:07.04 in the second semifinal heat. Matsushima’s time ranks her ninth in the world.
Rozaliya Nasretdinova of Russia topped qualifying in the women’s 100 freestyle, slipping inside of 55-seconds. Nasretdinova touched in 54.92 and will be joined by Americans Shannon Vreeland (55.04) and Abbey Weitzeil (55.25) as the top qualifiers.
In the final semifinal of the night, Southern Cal’s Reed Malone posted the night’s fastest time in the men’s 200 free (1:47.85), and he will be joined by compatriot Clay Youngquist of Texas, who finished sixth overall.
