Americans Nic Fink and Rhyan White won gold at the world short course swimming championships after Olympic teammates Lydia Jacoby and Katie Grimes withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols on Saturday.
Fink won the 200m breaststroke in 2:02.28 after qualifying in seventh place and sitting third at 150 meters. He upset Olympic silver medalist Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands by .14, with another American, Will Licon, taking bronze in Abu Dhabi
Fink was fifth in the 200m breast at the Tokyo Games.
Later Saturday, White led another U.S. one-three with Isabelle Stadden getting bronze in the women’s 200m backstroke.
White, fourth in both backstrokes at the Olympics, clocked 2:01.58 to prevail by .49 over Canadian Kylie Masse. Stadden, fourth and fifth in the backstrokes at Olympic Trials, where the top two per event made the team, was .62 behind White on Saturday.
Short course worlds are in a 25-meter pool, a contrast from the 50-meter pool used for the Olympics. Many of the top U.S. swimmers are not competing at this meet.
Before Saturday’s finals session, Jacoby and Grimes withdrew from the meet due to COVID-19 protocols.
Jacoby, the Alaskan who won the 100m breast in Tokyo, was the lone individual U.S. Olympic gold medalist entered in short course worlds.
Grimes, the youngest athlete on the entire U.S. Olympic team at age 15, was fourth in the 800m free in Tokyo.
Also Saturday, American Abbey Weitzeil took bronze in the 100m free won by Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong.
SHORT COURSE WORLDS: Full Results | TV Schedule
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