Shanghai report 28.7.

Shanghai , 28th July, 2011. Russia’s Anastasia Zueva swam a matching season’s best of 27.79 to win her first world title in the women’s 50m backstroke at the World Championships in Shanghai tonight. The gold medal is deserved reward after her narrow loss in the 100m two days ago. Fellow Arena swimmer Emily Seebohm of Australia finished fifth in her own season’s personal best of 28.07.
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary picked up a bronze medal in the men’s 200m IM, in which the USA’s Ryan Lochte became the first swimmer to break a LC world record since the hi-tech suit era. Cseh finished 3.69 seconds behind Lochte’s winning time of 1:54.00. “I’m happy with this medal, I did everything I could,” said Cseh. “The Americans were really strong. My time is a little better than in Budapest at the European Championships last year. I know I need to improve, mainly in the breaststroke.”
In other finals tonight, Arena’s César Cielo missed the podium by one-hundredth of a second in the 100m freestyle as he finished in 48.01. James Magnussen of Australia won the race in 47.63s.
Arena Elite team swimmers Fran Halsall (UK) and Rebecca Soni (USA) both swam season best times in their respective semi-finals. Halsall swam a 53.48 100m freestyle, to qualify for tomorrow’s final along with Ranomi Kromowidjojo (Netherlands), who swam a 2011 personal best of 53.94 in finishing fifth. Soni once again demolished the field with a time of 2:21.03 in the 200m breaststroke semi-final, more than 2.5 seconds ahead of fellow Arena swimmer, Yuliya Efimova of Russia, who finished second in 2:23:66.
“I feel good, I did pretty well,” said Halsall, who was a silver medallist in Rome. “This morning (in the preliminary heats) I was a little nervous, but this evening I dominated from the start. Now I’m focused, and believe in myself for tomorrow’s final.”
In the men’s 200m breaststroke semi-final, Arena duo Daniel Gyurta from Hungary and the USA’s Eric Shanteau posted the second and fourth fastest times to qualify for tomorrow’s final. Defending champion Gyurta’s time of 2:08.92 bettered his own personal best for 2011 by over a second-and-a-half, while Rome silver medallist Shanteau swam his second consecutive 2011 personal best in the day’s heats and semis (2:10.03). In the men’s 200m backstroke semi-final, Russia’s Stanislav Donets qualified for tomorrow’s final in a time of 1:58.00.