15 August 2007 By Graham Croker
Sydney University swimmer Jonathon Newton posted a career highlight last night when he won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
Coached at the Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre pool by Australian coach Steve Alderman, Newton was pipped for the gold medal by .11s by Nicholas Araujo Dias Dos Santos of Brazil.
The Brazilian broke the World University Games record of 22.17s, set by American Cullen Jones in 2005, when he swam 22.12s to relegate Newton (22.33s) to silver and American Donald Scott Goodrich (22.39s) to bronze. The great Alexander Popov holds the world record of 21.64, set in 2000.
Newton, a Sydney University Sports Scholarship holder, swam 22.50s to finish second to Dias Dos Santos (22.35s) in their heat.
Alderman said Newton’s silver medal performance was a very encouraging result for Australian swimming and a good lead-up for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Sydney University’s Olympic swimming representative Michelle Englesman, who was co-captain of the Australian team at the 24th Universiade, finished 6th in the women’s 50m freestyle final.
Britta Steffan of Germany won the gold medal in a time of 24.87s, from Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belaruse (25.01s), Amaral Gusamo Do of Brazil (25.07), Alice Mills of Australia (25.11s) and Brooke Ann Bishop of the US (25.40s). Englesman, another Sydney University Sports Scholarship holder, swam 25.52s.
The Australian swimming team will arrive home tomorrow in preparation for the Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne at the end of the month.
In other World University Games news, Sydney University’s Justin Merlino finished eighth in the final of the 110m hurdles.
The Sydney University Sports Scholarship holder finished second in his heat and fourth in his semi-final to earn a berth in the final, where he came up against the cream of hurdlers from around the world.
Sergii Demidiuk of the Ukraine won the event in 13.33s, ahead of China’s Wei Ji (13.57s) and Anselmo Gomes Da Silva of Brazil (13.58s). Merlino ran 14.15s in his heat, 13.83s in the semi-final and 13.91s in the final.
Meanwhile, middle-distance runner Lachlan Renshaw missed out on a quarter-final berth in the 800m when he finished fifth in his heat in Bangkok.
