Breaststrokers Emily Escobedo and Nic Fink won individual titles on the last day of the world short course championships in Abu Dhabi, where the U.S. finished with the most medals and most golds.
Escobedo, who missed the Tokyo Olympic team by one spot in the 200m breast, won that event in the short-course, 25-meter pool on Tuesday. She clocked 2:17.85, edging Russian Yevgeniya Chikunova by .03.
Fink won the 50m breast, which is not an Olympic event, after taking gold in the 200m breast and bronze in the 100m breast. In Tokyo, Fink was fifth in the 200m breast, his lone Olympic event, coming back after breaking both of his wrists from a fall while exercising in autumn 2020.
The U.S. finished the meet with the most total medals (30) and gold medals (nine). It topped the total medal standings at each of the last six short course worlds, which are held in even years. This edition was postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of the top U.S. and world swimmers did not enter short course worlds. The U.S. roster included one individual gold medalist from Tokyo, breaststroker Lydia Jacoby, who withdrew from the meet on Saturday due to COVID-19 protocols.
The U.S. also got individual silver medals from Ryan Held (100m freestyle) and Shaine Casas (200m backstroke) on Tuesday. Claire Curzan took bronze in the 100m butterfly.
The next major U.S. meet is the world championships trials in April in Greensboro, N.C.
SHORT COURSE WORLDS: Full Results
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