The Lithuanian swimmer Rūta Meilutytė won her third consecutive world champion title in the 50m breaststroke (50m pool). The Lithuanian defended her title in Doha on Sunday evening and her first place after the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals on Saturday, Meilutytė finished 50m in 29.42 seconds. She was 0.38 seconds ahead of her closest rival, China’s Tang Qianting, who gave her a tough fight in the final.
The Chinese, who fought with Meilutytė until the very last centimetres, forced the Lithuanian to improve her time once again (29.40), while Tang Qianting was just 0.11 seconds behind, improving her personal best and the Asian continental record once again.
After the semi-finals, Rūta was saying that the final swim would be “interesting” and she was right, even though Benedetta Pilato (30.01), who won bronze, had said on Saturday that the Lithuanian would definitely win.
Meilutytė won the World Championships medal for the fourth time in her career. The first time she won silver was back in 2013. In 2015 and 2017, Rūta finished 4th.
In 2022 and 2023, she won gold.
After the finals, Rūta said she was proud of herself and that her grandmother would be particularly happy.
Amazing swim, how did you feel before the final today?
I had different feelings, but was calm. I was in my body, not in my head. It felt good.
What does it mean to you to become world champion for the third time in a row?
I am very proud of myself and the path I have taken. I am proud of Lithuania. I am grateful for my team, my support, I feel very positive.
The result in the semi-finals was great, your time [in the final] was even better. Did you expect to swim so fast in February?
I didn’t expect anything too much. But I think 50m is easier to swim consistently than 100m in any season. I went with no expectations and I’m coming back full of experience.
It’s your eighth medal at the World Championships, are they all equally shiny and equally important to you?
Those medals are such a temporary thing: you look at them, you put them down and forget about them. That’s it. My grandmother is very happy with my medals, I think this medal will be a very nice present for her from Doha.
This year’s championship had a very big team. What does it mean to you to be with those young swimmers who also said they were honoured to be on the team with you?
It means a lot. As one of the older members of the team, to see such intelligent, aware, determined young swimmers. And as a Lithuanian, it is also extremely gratifying and inspiring.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
