Senior Sports Reporter
walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
Swimmer Dylan Carter rebounded from a medal-less performance in the 50-metre freestyle event on Friday to secure a silver medal in the 100-metre freestyle event, his first medal of the final leg of the 2023 FINA World Aquatics Swimming World Cup Series in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday.
Carter, the record holder in the long course and short course 100-metre freestyle, 50-metre backstroke, 100-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre butterfly, benefited from a reaction time of 0.69 to pedal his way to the silver medal in a time of 48.52 seconds, finishing behind Italy’s Thomas Ceccon who took the gold by posting 48.41 seconds.
Twenty-five-year-old Italian Alessandro Miressi stormed home for the bronze medal by stopping the clock at 48.62 seconds while Australian Maximillian Giuliani, at just 20 years, sealed the fourth-place finish (48.66 seconds), thereby just missing out on the medals.
Earlier, Carter, 27, won his heat nine by splashing to a time of 48.92 seconds to be one of only two qualifiers from the heat.
He got to the wall at the finish line ahead of hometown favourite Nandor Nemeth, whose 49.16 seconds had earned him a place in the title race, but he would have had to do a lot better to mount the podium. Carter’s time though, was the second-fastest heading into the final, following a reaction time of 0.69. Twenty-two-old Ceccon, the world record holder in the long course 100-metre backstroke and the short course 4×100 metre freestyle relay pipped him for the top qualifying spot, sprinting to a lightning-quick 48.73 seconds, after a reaction time of 0.70.
Meanwhile, Carter’s countryman, Graham Chatoor, was second in heat three early yesterday morning but his 53.52 seconds was not sufficient to earn him a place in the final.
Chatoor, who earlier this year erased Carter’s nine-year record in the 400-metre freestyle event at the TYR Pro Swim Series at the Marguerite Aquatics Center, Mission Viejo in California, USA, was beaten only by Mohamad Zubaid of Kuwait. Zubaid, following a reaction time at the start of 0.81 finished the race in 53.45 seconds.
Carter will spring into action again today, where he will contest lane five of heat seven at 3.47 am. He continues his World Cup campaign in the 50-metre butterfly event. Chartoor will also be involved in action today, contesting the 200-metre freestyle. He will be in lane three of heat four at 5.15 am today.