Indiana University Athletics
Zubkova Closes Out World Championships With Third-Place Finish
4/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
April 14, 2008
MANCHESTER, England - Indiana University sophomore Kate Zubkova closed out the 2008 FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships with top-8 finishes in the 50-meter backstroke and 200-meter backstroke. The meet took place April 9-13 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.
Representing Ukraine, Zubkova broke her own Ukrainian national record in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 26.81, good for third place. Croatia's Sanja Jovanovic took home the title with a world-record time of 26.37, breaking her own mark of 26.50 set in December.
In the 200-meter backstroke, Zubkova placed eighth with a time of 2:07.66, seven seconds off the pace of gold medalist Kirsty Coventry who recorded a new world record of 2:00.91. Zubkova finished second in the prelims with her time of 2:06.67.
Earlier in the meet, Zubkova clocked a European-record time of 57.15 for a second-place finish in the 100-meter back, 5/100ths of a second behind gold medalist Coventry. Zubkova advanced to the finals after setting a then-Ukrainian national record of 58.23 to finish fourth in the semifinals.
Zubkova just wrapped up her inaugural season with the Hoosiers where she captured Big Ten championships in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. She went on to finish third in the 100 back and second in the 200 back at the NCAA Championships, setting school records in both events along the way.
Players Mentioned
