19-Year-Old Claire Curzan Makes USA Proud With Her 3rd Gold at the Doha World Championships

Claire Curzan has emerged as the swimmer to look out for in the Paris Olympics. The 19-year-old has taken the 2024 Doha World Aquatic Championships by storm winning two gold medals and one silver medal in the last week. As the swimming extravaganza entered the 7th day in Qatar, Curzan once again splashed hard enough to make America proud.

Aiming to win her 3rd gold of the meet, Curzan swam in the 200m backstroke finals along with other 7 world-class swimmers. The 2-minute affair saw a close contest which culminated in a photo finish as Curzan sealed another gold for America.

Claire Curzan wins 3rd gold at Doha Worlds

Claire Curzan swam fastest on the night as she took the 200-meter backstroke finals by storm. The 19-year-old blazed through the 200-meter distance in 2:05:77 seconds to win her 3rd gold of the 2024 Doha World Aquatics Championship. Australia’s Jaclyn Barclay secured the silver medal in 2:07:03 seconds while Anastasia Shkurdai took home the bronze medal in 2:09:08 seconds as Curzan once again entered the history books.

Today’s gold marked Curzan’s third at the ongoing World Championships after previous triumphs in the 50 and 100-meter backstroke making her the only 2nd female swimmer in history to do so. The first was Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka. With a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly also to her name, Curzan has emerged as one of the top performers for the U.S. And just like today, she broke records in her previous victories as well.

Curzan secured gold in the 100m backstroke on day two of the championship and was later joined by Hunter Armstrong who completed the sweep for U.S.A. It was the first time since 2013 when American swimmers swept the men’s and women’s 100-meter backstroke events. The 19-year-old later prized the 50-meter gold in a breathtaking contest against Australia’s Iona Anderson, outtouching her by a narrow 0.02 seconds.

READ MORE: Doha World Aquatics Championships: US Gets Back to Back Gold With Hunter Armstrong Standing Atop the Podium Right After Claire Curzan

She clocked 27.43 seconds, followed by Iona’s 27.45 for silver, and for third place,  Ingrid Wilm of Canada clocked 27.61. Curzan, who is just 19, has added 4 World Aquatics medals to her name and already has several in the World Championships. With the Olympics lined up ahead, it’s the perfect opportunity for her to make the most of her rich vein of form.

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