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| Event type

100 metres Breaststroke, Women

Date29 – 30 July 2012
StatusOlympic
LocationLondon Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Participants46 from 36 countries

Rebecca Soni (USA) was the 2011 World Champion in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke, also won this event at the 2009 Worlds, and was a silver medalist at the 2008 Olympics. Although she was favored, in the preliminaries in London, the best time was posted by the unknown 15-year-old Lithuanian Rūta Meilutytė, who broke the European record with 1:05.21 in the semi-finals. This made her only the second swimming finalist ever for Lithuania.

The final got off to a rough start when the USA’s Breeja Larson caused a stir by jumping into the pool before the start. But the official ruled that it was due to a faulty starting system in which the swimmers could not hear the )take your mark) command. She was allowed a re-start which would be a fair start. Meilutytė started the final at the same sort of pace, clear of the field at the wall, with Soni in fourth place. Soni did not make up ground until the last 15 metres when she surged and almost caught Meilutytė, but she came up short, the gold going to the young Lithuanian, with Soni getting silver. Japan’s Satomi Suzuki won bronze, over a second back of the two leaders. Larson eventually placed sixth.

Meilutytė was only 15 years, 133 days old on the day of this win, which would make her the youngest swimming gold medalist in London, just younger than Katie Ledecky (USA), who had won the 800 free at 15-137. This also made Meilutytė the youngest ever Olympic gold medalist in the 100 breaststroke, and her win was the first medal ever won by Lithuania in swimming.

PosSwimmerNOCR1SFFinal
1Rūta MeilutytėLTU1:05.56 (1 h4)1:05.21 (1 h2)1:05.47 (1)Gold
2Rebecca SoniUSA1:05.75 (1 h6)1:05.98 (1 h1)1:05.55 (2)Silver
3Satomi SuzukiJPN1:07.08 (2 h5)1:07.10 (3 h1)1:06.46 (3)Bronze
4Alia AtkinsonJAM1:07.39 (1 h3)1:07.48 (=4 h1)1:06.93 (4)
5Leisel JonesAUS1:06.98 (2 h4)1:06.81 (3 h2)1:06.95 (5)
6Breeja LarsonUSA1:06.58 (1 h5)1:06.70 (2 h1)1:06.96 (6)
7Yuliya YefimovaRUS1:06.51 (2 h6)1:06.57 (2 h2)1:06.98 (7)
8Rikke Møller PedersenDEN1:07.23 (3 h5)1:06.82 (4 h2)1:07.55 (8)
9Tera Van BeilenCAN1:07.85 (4 h5)1:07.48 (=4 h1)
10Jennie JohanssonSWE1:07.14 (4 h6)1:07.57 (6 h1)
11Suzaan van BiljonRSA1:07.54 (2 h3)1:07.68 (7 h1)
12Sarah PoeweGER1:07.12 (3 h6)1:07.68 (5 h2)
13Leiston PickettAUS1:07.41 (3 h4)1:07.74 (6 h2)
14Jillian TylerCAN1:07.81 (6 h4)1:07.87 (7 h2)
15Zhao JinCHN1:07.68 (4 h4)1:07.97 (8 h2)
16Mina MatsushimaJPN1:07.69 (5 h4)1:08.26 (8 h1)
17Liu XiaoyuCHN1:07.99 (5 h5)
18Sara El-BekriMAR1:08.21 (3 h3)
19Joline HöstmanSWE1:08.28 (6 h5)
20Moniek NijhuisNED1:08.31 (5 h6)
21Siobhan-Marie O'ConnorGBR1:08.32 (6 h6)
22Caroline RuhnauGER1:08.43 (7 h5)
23Darya DeyevaRUS1:08.44 (7 h6)
24Petra ChocováCZE1:08.59 (4 h3)
25Marina GarcíaESP1:08.64 (7 h4)
26Sycerika McMahonIRL1:08.80 (8 h4)
27Michela GuzzettiITA1:08.83 (5 h3)
28Kate HaywoodGBR1:09.22 (8 h5)
29Buse GünaydınTUR1:09.43 (6 h3)
30Tjaša VozelSLO1:09.63 (1 h2)
31Anna SztankovicsHUN1:09.65 (2 h2)
32Fanny BabouFRA1:09.76 (3 h2)
33Kim Hye-JinKOR1:09.79 (7 h3)
34Jenna LaukkanenFIN1:09.92 (4 h2)
35Ana RodriguesPOR1:10.62 (5 h2)
36Danielle BeaubrunLCA1:11.12 (6 h2)
37Mariya LiverUKR1:11.23 (8 h3)
38Chen I-ChuanTPE1:11.28 (7 h2)
39Concepción BadilloESP1:12.58 (8 h6)
40Tatiana ChișcaMDA1:13.30 (8 h2)
41Ivana NinkovićBIH1:14.04 (1 h1)
42Pilar ShimizuGUM1:15.76 (2 h1)
43Matelita BuadromoFIJ1:16.33 (3 h1)
44Oksana HətəmxanovaAZE1:25.52 (4 h1)
45Gantömöriin OyuungerelMGL1:27.17 (5 h1)
46Dede CamaraGUI1:38.54 (6 h1)

Round One (29 July 2012 — 10:43)

Heat One (10:43)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Ivana NinkovićBIH1:14.040.78
23Pilar ShimizuGUM1:15.760.80
35Matelita BuadromoFIJ1:16.330.71
46Oksana HətəmxanovaAZE1:25.520.85
52Gantömöriin OyuungerelMGL1:27.170.88
67Dede CamaraGUI1:38.540.80

Heat Two (10:46)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Tjaša VozelSLO1:09.630.79
25Anna SztankovicsHUN1:09.650.73
36Fanny BabouFRA1:09.760.72
43Jenna LaukkanenFIN1:09.920.72
52Ana RodriguesPOR1:10.620.70
61Danielle BeaubrunLCA1:11.120.68
77Chen I-ChuanTPE1:11.280.70
88Tatiana ChișcaMDA1:13.300.69

Heat Three (10:49)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
16Alia AtkinsonJAM1:07.390.70Q
22Suzaan van BiljonRSA1:07.540.67Q
33Sara El-BekriMAR1:08.210.70
45Petra ChocováCZE1:08.590.73
54Michela GuzzettiITA1:08.830.68
61Buse GünaydınTUR1:09.430.70
77Kim Hye-JinKOR1:09.790.68
88Mariya LiverUKR1:11.230.72

Heat Four (10:52)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
16Rūta MeilutytėLTU1:05.560.61Q
24Leisel JonesAUS1:06.980.72Q
35Leiston PickettAUS1:07.410.77Q
41Zhao JinCHN1:07.680.76Q
52Mina MatsushimaJPN1:07.690.70Q
63Jillian TylerCAN1:07.810.76Q
77Marina GarcíaESP1:08.640.69
88Sycerika McMahonIRL1:08.800.66

Heat Five (10:55)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Breeja LarsonUSA1:06.580.79Q
25Satomi SuzukiJPN1:07.080.62Q
33Rikke Møller PedersenDEN1:07.230.71Q
42Tera Van BeilenCAN1:07.850.72Q
57Liu XiaoyuCHN1:07.990.73
61Joline HöstmanSWE1:08.280.68
76Caroline RuhnauGER1:08.430.67
88Kate HaywoodGBR1:09.220.76

Heat Six (10:58)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Rebecca SoniUSA1:05.750.73Q
25Yuliya YefimovaRUS1:06.510.75Q
32Sarah PoeweGER1:07.120.74Q
43Jennie JohanssonSWE1:07.140.77Q
57Moniek NijhuisNED1:08.310.79
68Siobhan-Marie O'ConnorGBR1:08.320.73
76Darya DeyevaRUS1:08.440.68
81Concepción BadilloESP1:12.580.71

Semi-Finals (29 July 2012 — 19:50)

Heat One (19:50)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Rebecca SoniUSA1:05.980.73Q
25Breeja LarsonUSA1:06.700.75Q
33Satomi SuzukiJPN1:07.100.61Q
=48Tera Van BeilenCAN1:07.480.72q1
=42Alia AtkinsonJAM1:07.480.66q2
66Jennie JohanssonSWE1:07.570.74
77Suzaan van BiljonRSA1:07.680.67
81Mina MatsushimaJPN1:08.260.72

Heat Two (19:57)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Rūta MeilutytėLTU1:05.210.62Q
25Yuliya YefimovaRUS1:06.570.71Q
33Leisel JonesAUS1:06.810.70Q
42Rikke Møller PedersenDEN1:06.820.71Q
56Sarah PoeweGER1:07.680.68
67Leiston PickettAUS1:07.740.84
78Jillian TylerCAN1:07.870.70
81Zhao JinCHN1:07.970.75

Swim-Off (21:29)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
15Alia AtkinsonJAM1:06.790.70Q
24Tera Van BeilenCAN1:07.730.73

Final (30 July 2012 — 20:15)

PosLaneSwimmerNOCTimeReaction
14Rūta MeilutytėLTU1:05.470.60
25Rebecca SoniUSA1:05.550.74
31Satomi SuzukiJPN1:06.460.66
48Alia AtkinsonJAM1:06.930.70
52Leisel JonesAUS1:06.950.71
66Breeja LarsonUSA1:06.960.73
73Yuliya YefimovaRUS1:06.980.74
87Rikke Møller PedersenDEN1:07.550.70