Marco Koch Thanks Heaven That 2016 Will End On High Note With 100 Breast Gold

World S/C Championships

Windsor, Day 2

Men’s 100m breaststroke

More than Mitch Larkin among 2015 World champions who struggled to follow up at the Olympic Games this year, Marco Koch found himself locked out of the medals altogether in Rio, his last place finish in the 200m breaststroke a thundering disappointment to German hopes in the pool.

This evening in Windsor, Koch raised the prospect of the breaststroke double, the 200m ahead of him, the 100m crown in the bag in 56.77sec. No Peaty, Van Der Burgh out in the rounds and the clock slower than it has been on previous occasions but a win is a win, Koch’s stamina over 200m shining through under the circumstances (including the fact that this was not Koch’s season best nor as fast as three others have been this, as the ranks below show).

Marco Koch of Germany on his way to victory – by Patrick B. Kraemer

Again, like Larkin, Koch turned sixth at the turn, his 26.83 adrift the 26.51 lead pace of the man he would overhaul for the crown, Vladimir Morozov. The Russian claimed silver in 57.00, his 30.49 homecomer comparing to Koch’s 29.94, the only sub-30 in the race. The bronze went to 2012 champion Fabio Scozzoli, of Italy, in 57.05, the slimest whisker possible in the pool, 0.01sec, ahead of defending champion Felipe Franca Silva of Brazil, …

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