Begin with news from the FINA world swimming championships in Rome. Jiao Liuyang added a bronze medal for China, breaking the new Asian record of 56.86 seconds in the women's 100m butterfly.
After coming-in fifth in the semi-final, Jiao, Beijing Olympics 200m butterfly runner-up, advanced to the 100m butterfly final. Jiao drew the second lane, while Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom, who broke the world record in the semi, began in the fourth lane, and Australia star Jessicah Schipper took off from the fifth lane.
Jiao didn't get off to a good start, beginning next-to-last among the eight swimmers. But the Chinese swimmer's good rhythm helped her catch the leaders. Jiao advanced from 5th place as the race reached the halfway mark. The 15-year-old Sjostrom, who was only seventh in the first 50 meters, sped past 6 rivals to clinch the title, breaking the world record with a time of 56.06 seconds. Jiao Liuyang won the bronze, finishing in 56.86.
Jiao said:"Now the record mark for the butterfly is set very high. It did not take long for the winner to improve her record. But I know I can be happy with this result today. I am very satisfied."
Swimmers won three additional golds in Rome: Australia's Brenton Rickard broke the world record in the men's 100 meter breastroke. He finished in 58.58 seconds, defeating France's Hugues Duboscq by only 8-one-hundredths of a second.
Ariana Kukors of the United States passed Beijing Olympics gold medallist Stephanie Rice in the women's 200 meter individual medley, recording a world record time of 2 minutes, 6.15 seconds.The gold in the men's 50 meter butterfly went to Milorad Cavic of Serbia.
(CCTV July 28, 2009)
