Ralf Tribuntsov breaks Estonian 100m backstroke record twice in one meet
Estonian swimmer Ralf Tribuntsov broke the domestic record for the short course 100-meter backstroke not once, but twice in the one day at the World Championships in Budapest this week. He finished 10th overall.
Tribuntsov clocked 50.38 in the morning heats and improved to 50.25 in the evening, both domestic records at the time of being set; however, despite this, he missed making the final by 0.22 seconds.
Post-race, the swimmer said: "I believe I'll break that 50-second barrier someday," adding he was "very happy" with the performance he did put in despite not making the final.
The competition is not over for Tribuntsov, whose primary focus remains the 50-meter backstroke, where he aims to set another domestic record and break the 23-second barrier.
Meanwhile, in the men's 50-meter butterfly, Daniel Zaitsev placed 14th in the semifinal heats with a time of 22.28, improving by 0.09 seconds from the initial heats, but again falling short of the final.
Zaitsev reflected: "My hands didn't come together cleanly at the start... but overall, I felt better in the evening."
Swiss swimmer Noe Ponti set a world record with a time of 21.43 in the event.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Siim Boikov
