Projo Sports Blog

Elizabeth Beisel, the teenaged Olympian from Rhode Island, won the bronze medal for her third place finish in the 200-meter backstroke on Saturday at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome.

The soon-to-be North Kingstown High Scool senior, who is only 16, set a personal record with a time of 2:06.39, which last year would have been the fastest time in the world.

"It's still a damn good time," said Ted Beisel, Elizabeth's father, who watched the race at Twin Willows Restaurant in Narragansett. "I think it's a big relief for her.''

The winner of the race was Kirsty Coventry, of Zimbabwe who recorded a time of 2:04.81, a new world record. Coventry won the gold medal in last year's Olympics in Bejing, China.

The second place winner, who grabbed the silver medal on Saturday, was Anastasia Zueva, of Russia. She finished the race in 2:04.94, just 1.58 seconds ahead of Beisel.
Eight women competed in the race that was telecast live on NBC at about 12:30 p.m.

Coventry, Zueva and Beisel settled into their first, second and third positions in the first 50 meters and it remained that way through the finish. At the 150 meter mark, it appeared that Beisel might overtake Zueva, but the Russian had enough left to hold off the Rhode Islander.

Beisel returns to the pool on Sunday for the 400-meter individual medley, where she had the fourth-fastest qualifying time in that event. Again, it will be broadcast on NBC at noon.

-- W. ZACHARY MALINOWSKI

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