adminSunday where she failed to qualify for the final of the women’s 200 metres individual medley.
Coventry, who has entered for three events in Shanghai – 200IM, 200m backstroke and 400IM – failed to impress in her first outing at this year’s world swimming showpiece on Sunday.
According to reports from Shanghai, Coventry, who turns 28 on September 16 this year, missed out on qualifying for yesterday’s 200IM final during Sunday’s semi-finals in which she clocked 2 minutes 12.21 seconds.
In fact, Coventry competed in the second semi-final of the women’s 200IM on Sunday evening and was placed fifth in 2:12.21 behind Alicia Coutts of Australia (2:10.65), Britain’s Hannah Miley (2:10.95), American
Caitlin Leverenz (2:11.15) and Katinka Hosszu of Hungary (2:11.71). Coventry’s time was not good enough to place among the top eight qualifying times of the day for yesterday’s final which was won by 15-year-old Ye Shiwen of China. Asian Games champion Ye recorded host China’s first swimming gold in a pulsating 200IM that was met with deafening roars at Shanghai’s Sea Crown stadium.
Ye put in a lightning final lap to pip Australia’s Coutts, who won her second silver of the night, by one-tenth of a second in 2:08.90, with defending champion Ariana Kukors of the United States in third. Australia’s Olympic title-holder Stephanie Rice finished fourth.
And after missing out on qualifying for yesterday’s 200IM final, Coventry is now hoping to redeem herself in her last two events of the competition – the 200m backstroke and 400IM.
The heats and the semi-finals of the 200m backstroke are set for Friday with the final scheduled for the following day. Sunday will see the staging of the 400IM heats in the morning and the final in the evening. And all eyes will be on the 2008 Olympic Games 200m backstroke champion Coventry when she first tries to salvage something from this year’s competition when she competes in the 200m backstroke event on Friday.
At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Italy, Coventry won a gold and a silver medal.
She won the 200m backstroke world title with a world record time of 2:04.81 and came second in the 400IM (4:32.12). Coventry also came fourth in the 200IM final and eighth in the 100m backstroke final.
Online Reporter