Claire Curzan creates history becoming the first American woman to be crowned 50 and 100m backstroke World Champion simultaneously
Claire Curzan has made history once again, this time by becoming the first American woman to win the 50m and 100m World Championships at the same time.
For the 19-year-old, this could be called a comeback event, as just six months ago she failed to make the Fukuoka World Championships. Curzan had been sick and hospitalized before the trials, and had failed to give her best performance as a result.
While many questioned if the American would be back to the level she was at before her sickness, the swimmer's performance in Doha is proving all doubters wrong.
Claire Curzan kicked off her campaign in the Qatari capital with a silver medal in 100m butterfly. Just two days later, the American stormed onto the top of the podium in the 100m backstroke, beating the rest of the field by nearly a second.
Now, the youngster has delivered an encore of her performance in the 50m event, making her the first American woman to be 100m and 50m backstroke World Champion simultaneously.
Claire Curzan on winning the 50m backstroke
For Claire Curzan, her outing in Doha has been nothing short phenomenal. Apart from her three individual medals, she also won a gold in the mixed 4x100 medley relay, taking the total of her World Championships medal tally to nine.
The American is suitably overwhelmed by her own accomplishments, telling media after the race,
"I don't know if I can put into words, but it's always an honor to win another medal for Team USA and to have the national anthem play. I'm really happy with how I've done this far [in Doha]. I'm analyzing... what I need to work on with my training for the future."
The podium for both the 100m and 50m backstroke at the Doha World Championships was exactly the same. Curzan finished first, while Australian Iona Anderson and Canadian Ingrid Wilm came in second and third. Speaking on the competition with Anderson, the American said,
"Iona had a really great meet and she's an amazing swimmer. I'm excited that she keeps the level of competition so high and the Aussies keep pushing us. I'm glad we're able to have this friendly rivalry."
Claire Curzan will next be in action on the 16th of February, as the heats for the 200m backstroke begin. The youngster will look for a clean sweep of the category with a third gold medal, but is likely to face some tough competition.