Cate Campbell wins silver in 100m freestyle final as Americans surge

Gwangju, South Korea: Simone Manuel has spoiled the party once again for Cate Campbell, with the American world and Olympic champion scorching down lane one to beat the Australian into silver in the final of the 100m freestyle.

On a night where Team USA hit back with avengence in the world championship pool, Manuel turned the tables on Campbell after being overhauled by her rival twice earlier in the meet in the relays, most memorably whe Campbell mowed her down to make up a bodylength in the mixed medley.

Golden girl: Simone Manuel (centre) smashed her personal-best time to defeat Cate Campbell (left) and Sarah Sjostrom.Credit:AP

But Manuel saved the best for last, swimming out on her own on the wing and demolishing her previous personal best of 52.27s to win in 52.04s, the fastest time in the world this year and quicker than the 52.12 mark Campbell swam at national trials five weeks ago.

Campbell (52.43) was rock solid in beating world record holder Sarah Sjostrom into third, with Emma McKeon one back in fourth. She said she simply did not spot Manuel out in the carpark lanes but even if she did, the American star was having the best swim of her life.

"I didn't see her out there. I was locked in a battle with Sarah. I think that this is a great stepping stone for me, I can mix it with the best in the world. I got the best of Simone a couple of nights ago and last year (Pan Pacs) and I look forward to racing her again next year," Campbell said.

"It's been a great week for me in the pool and to come away with a silver medal, that's nothing to be sneezed at. My goal coming in here has been to shift the focus off the outcome and look at the races I put together.

"While I'm not 100 per cent happy with that race, I've made some great improvements over the past couple of years."

Campbell has bounced back strongly from the depths of Rio and this was an important moment for her on the second biggest stage the sport can offer. She has been swimming consistently fast but again, like the Commonwealth Games final where sister Bronte pinched the top spot, managed to find one better on the night.

The silver lining may be that unlike Rio, she doesn't enter the Olympics as the one to beat, although at 27 it will be her last roll of the dice.

"I think it will be great for me going into Tokyo without a huge target on my back. I've well and truly shifted the focus away from that now," Campbell said.

Manuel's ability to turn her semi-final swim around was excellent. She qualified last for the final then put away a field stacked with quality, including the current and former world record holder.

"This meet has been a little bit of a roller coaster for me, not all my swims have been what I would have liked them to be and I did take that relay (mixed medley) very hard because I didn’t feel I did as best as I possibly could," Manuel said.

"It’s always about regrouping. Not everyone has the perfect swim every time and so I just needed to put on a good face, not only for myself but also Team USA because I feel like they are depending on me. I am a veteran on the team so I have to be able to show a bit of poise in these hard moments."

It was a huge night for Team USA, with Caeleb Dressel breaking the 100m butterfly world record belonging to Michael Phelps and 17-yer-old Regan Smith demolishing the 200m backstroke record in her semi-final.

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