World Championships, Day Two Finals: Nic Fink Wins 100m Breaststroke Gold Ahead Of Nicolo Martinenghi; Adam Peaty Returns To World Podium
Nic Fink won the 100m breaststroke gold to add the world long-course title to his short-course crown in Doha.
The USA athlete had a huge start, coming up well in front, to lead throughout despite the attack of Adam Peaty, to take the title in 58.57 and claim his country’s first gold of the World Championships.
Nicolo Martinenghi came from fifth at halfway to take second in 58.84 following the fastest second 50 of 31.41 with Peaty clinching bronze in 59.19 as he returned to the world long-course podium for the first time since Gwangju 2019.
Fink now has a medal of each colour at the last three worlds with silver in Fukuoka last year in a three-way tie with Arno Kamminga and Martinenghi which followed bronze at Budapest 2022.
Splits:
26.98/31.59: Fink
27.53/31.41: Martinenghi
27.08/32.02: Peaty
Peaty had never been beaten in an individual final over 50 or 100m at worlds and won the double at Kazan 2015, Budapest 2017 and Gwangju 2019, where he set his world record of 56.88.
However, the 29-year-old missed Budapest 2022 because of a foot injury and withdrew from the British trials for Fukuoka last year to focus on his mental health.
Peaty told Swimming World last year that he had considered quitting “a thousand times,” such was the severity of his desolation and loneliness, in early 2023.
