(IANS/RIA Novosti) Australia’s Emily Seebohm underlined her status as a leading contender for 100 metres backstroke gold by setting a new Olympic swimming record in the heats Sunday.
Seebohm’s time of 58.23 seconds was comfortably inside the mark of 58.77 seconds set by Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry in Beijing, but outside the world record of 58.12 seconds held by Britain’s Gemma Spofforth.
Seebohm was part of the Australian team that won gold in the 4×100 metre medley relay in Beijing in 2008.