Huge Disappointment for USA as Carson Foster Falls Off The Podium at Doha World Championships

It’s almost time for the Doha World Championships to draw the curtains. On February 18, when the swimming icons girded for making their marks, the US swimmers boasted of their phenomenal roster. But one star of the roster, Carson Foster, just fell short of seconds to clinch the most coveted men’s 400m individual medley podium. Clocking in at 4:12.62, he made way for his Netherlands, Great Britain, and Japan compatriots to rule on top.

After Michael Andrew’s upsetting last finish at the 50m backstroke final, Foster’s 4th finish came as a salt sprinkle on the cut. The top finisher of the 400m IM Lewis Clareburt, hailing from the Netherlands, swam to the finish line in 4:09.72. Trailing behind was pool titan Max Litchfield of GB with a time of 4:10.40. Looking at the third spot, there was Daiya Seto of Japan, but no trace of America on the podium.

The epitome of perfection toned down at the Doha World Championships

Making waves in the medley came on account of his perfect strokes, which were nothing close to inconsistent. Delivering class-apart performances and living up to the standards always hovered around his mind. But he stopped being perfect later, which cost him the Tokyo Olympics team, but left him with no regrets. “I think missing the team in 2021 exposed some of my weaknesses”.

Someone who questioned, “What if I missed the team? What if I don’t make it? What if I don’t achieve my goals?”, had witnessed all of these turn into reality. “The pressure of needing to be perfect backfired”, continued the 22-year-old. In the 400m dash at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, his time of 4:04 earned him a position alongside virtuoso Michael Phelps, thus rewarding him the title of the 3rd quickest ever in the US.

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He walked home from the 2022 WC with only medals and accolades under his belt. But his growth over the years went beyond desperate strokes for wins in the pool. “Those doubts and those anxieties, I think every high level athlete gets them, but it’s just about how you can handle it”, said he who previously failed to turn a blind eye to extreme competitiveness. In another gold pursuit, Foster would take a chance at the Olympics this year.

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