Rigamonti fails in attempt to win swimming medal
Switzerland's Olympic swimming hopeful, Flavia Rigamonti, narrowly failed to win a medal in the 800 metres freestyle final at the Sydney Olympics on Friday. She came fourth.
Rigamonti, from canton Ticino, recorded a time of 8:25.91 – three and a half seconds better than her own Swiss record over the same distance.
She looked to be on course to snatch a bronze medal, advancing on third-placed American Kaitlin Sandeno in the second half of the race.
But she fell back over the last 100 metres to finish one and half seconds behind Sandeno. Rigamonti said, “I couldn’t push any harder after 500 metres and I had hardly any feeling in my arms. I’ve never suffered so much in a race before.”
Rigamonti’s coach, Christophe Pellandi, was very pleased with her result. “She’s at the Olympics for the very first time, and she’s spent the last few weeks in the spotlight. To swim that kind of time in those conditions is really, really good.”
The race was won by the American, Brooke Bennett, with Yana Klochkova of Ukraine in second place.
The last time Switzerland won a swimming medal was at the 1984 Olympic Games.
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