Meilutyte ties 50m breaststroke world record

FUKUOKA: Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte swam 29.30sec to tie the women’s 50m breaststroke world record at swimming’s world championships on Saturday.

Meilutyte’s time equalled the mark set by Italy’s Benedetta Pilato in 2021. The Lithuanian won the 100m breaststroke title earlier this week in Fukuoka.

Meilutyte retired in 2019 at the age of 22 when facing a suspension of up to two years for missing three drug tests, ruling her out of the Tokyo Olympics.

She returned to competition in 2021.

Meilutyte, who has never failed a doping test, was a star of the 2012 London Games, whereas a 15-year-old she won the 100m breaststroke gold. She also won the gold at the world championships in Barcelona a year later.

France’s Maxime Grousset won the men’s 100m butterfly title at swimming’s world championships on Satur-day. He came home in 50.14sec to finish ahead of Canada’s Josh Liendo on 50.34 and American Dare Rose on 50.46.

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown completed a women’s backstroke clean sweep at swimming’s world champion-ships with victory in the 200m on Saturday.

McKeown, who also won the 50m and 100m backstroke, finished in a time of 2min, 03.85sec, ahead of American Regan Smith on 2:04.94 and China’s Peng Xuwei on 2:06.74. Agencies

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