Chinese dominate in short-course swimming
Last Updated: Monday, December 3, 2001 | 12:38 AM ET
CBC Sports
The Chinese dominated the Shanghai event on Sunday, as Huan Chen and Hui Li both set new world records.
Vancouver's Kelly Stefanyshyn won the silver medal in the women's 200-metre backstroke.
Chen beat one of the oldest short course world records in the books, clocking eight minutes 15.15 seconds in the women's 800 freestyle to lower the 8:16.22 standard set by American Janet Evans in 1989.
A few minutes earlier, Li obliterated the old world mark in the women's 50 backstroke with a time of 26.23. That's better than the previous mark of 27.27 set by Germany's Sandra Volker in 1997.
In the 200 backstroke, Stefanyshyn swam well, but it wasn't enough to beat the eventually winner, Wei Ya Ma of China. Ma finished in a time of 2:10.80.
Stefanyshyn, the overall World Cup champion in the event in 1999-2000, came in at 2:12.32. Wen Jing Zhou of China took third in 2:13.92.
In all, Chinese women took seven of eight events on Sunday. Only Martina Moravcova of Slovakia denied an outright sweep by the Chinese, taking first in the 100 butterfly for her ninth win of the season.
On the men's side, Toronto's Kyle Smerdon won his first career international medal, finishing first in the 100 freestyle. Denis Pimankov of Russia took gold in 48.29, followed by Edvaldo Silva Filho of Brazil.
World champion Roman Sloudnov of Russia won two gold and captured a World Cup record in the 50 breaststroke.
Thomas Kindler of Montreal took seventh in the 100 and fourth in the 50 butterfly. Doug Wake of Vancouver took eighth in the 200 butterfly.
