Alabama Swimmers in the Lead at World Championships
7/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Alabama swimmer Vlad Polyakov has been on quite the hot streak. The sophomore from Kazakhstan started things off last summer by finaling in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the Athens, Olympics. Last fall he took bronze medals in both events at the World Short Course Championships. He finished off his sophomore season at Alabama by winning the NCAA 200 breaststroke title.
And now, he is in the lead at the XI FINA World Championships being held in Montreal this week. Polyakov is the No. 1 seed in the 200 breaststroke coming out of the preliminary heats, just ahead of Olympic Silver Medalist Brendan Hansen.
Polyakov isn't the only Crimson Tide swimmer to lead the pack in Montreal this week. Anne Poleska, a 2005 senior, Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 200 breaststroke and runner-up in that event at the NCAA Championships this year, is also seeded first after prelims. The Krefeld, Germany native stands more than a quarter of a second ahead of the rest of the field going into the semi-finals.
Polyakov and Poleska are joined at the World Championships by two-time NCAA 200 butterfly champion Stefan Gherghel and rising senior Waleed Al-Qahtani.
The competition continues through Sunday, July 31.
