Gold-medal favourite Emily Seebohm misses 100m backstroke gold — again

THERE were no tears from Emily Seebohm this time around, but the gold-medal favourite will again leave the Olympics without the 100m backstroke crown.

Rio Olympics 2016. The finals of the swimming on day 02, at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Emily Seebohm in the semi-final of the Women's 100m Backstroke. Picture: Alex Coppel.

THERE were no tears from Emily Seebohm this time around, but the gold-medal favourite will again leave the Olympics without the women’s 100m backstroke crown after bombing out in this morning’s final.

The former Saint John Fisher Girls College student finished seventh in a time of 59.19, just ahead of last-placed Madison Wilson (59.23), from Indooroopilly’s St Peters Western Swim Club.

Seebohm led at the first turn, but was reeled in by Hungarian winner Katinka Hosszu in the final 50m.

Emily Seebohm in action. Picture: Alex Coppel.

It was another heartbreaking finish for 24-year-old Seebohm after taking silver in London, but she told Channel 7 she had no regrets.

“That’s just how it is. I know I tried 100 per cent tonight and couldn’t have done any more so I’m proud of myself,” the 2015 world champion said.

“There’s nothing at all (I could have done differently). I had no idea what the other girls were doing and tried to swim my own race.”

The fourth-fastest qualifier for the final, Wilson admitted the nerves may have got the better of her.

“Unfortunately I didn’t swim the best I could tonight but I had such a great experience. This is the pinnacle of our sport. I think I dealt with my nerves as best I could,” the Games debutant said.

St Peters Western clubmate Mitch Larkin also entered the men’s 100m backstroke final as a gold-medal contender, but finished fourth in a time of 52.43 as American winner Ryan Murphy (51.97) set a new Olympic record.

Mitch Larkin finished fourth in the men’s 100m backstroke final. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“I left everything in the pool so couldn’t be happier. It was a quick race and I knew it would come down to the finish,” Larkin said.

“It’s tough as world champion, everyone expects you to continue that year to year but the 100m comes down to nothing. It’s a little bit disappointing but I’ve got the 200m later in the week.

“The 200m is my favourite so we’ll see what happens there.”

Another of the St Peters Western crew, Grant Irvine, missed the 200m butterfly final after finishing fifth in a time of 1:56.07 in the first semi final.

“I gave it everything I had and it’s hard to get back out there (after the heats). I take a lot out of this experience. It’s a hard game but it’s a very good one to be a part of,” the 25-year-old said.

There was better news for former Chisholm Catholic College Cornubia student Alicia Coutts, who is through to the final of the women’s 200m individual medley.

The three-time Olympian clocked a time of 2:10.35 to finish third in the first semi final, sending her into Wednesday’s final as the sixth-fastest qualifier.

“I guess I went into the race tonight kind of in a calm mind. (I knew) tonight could possibly be the last swim of my career so I just wanted to give it my all,” the 28-year-old said.

“It really hurt, I didn’t feel as good as I did this morning. I was probably just a little bit mentally not there.”