Ryan Cochrane misses 800m final at swimming world championships
Canadian was trying for 4th straight medal at this distance
Canada's Ryan Cochrane failed to qualify for the final of the men's 800-metre freestyle event Tuesday at the swimming world championships in Kazan, Russia, a disappointing follow-up to his surprise medal in the 400m event two days earlier.
The Victoria native had reached the podium in the 800 at each of the last three world championships, but his heat time of 7:50.28 Tuesday left him in 10th place overall, 0.58 seconds out of the top-eight position needed to advance.
Cochrane finished second in his heat behind defending champion Sun Yang of China and sat in third position with one heat left. But a surprising seven swimmers went under 7:50 in the final heat, eliminating the Canadian.
"The distance events are getting faster and faster. The heats felt more like a semifinal," Cochrane said. "I thought I did enough to get into the final and I'm obviously disappointed."
It's more than disappointing to have missed that 800 final today: I am overwhelmed by it, and am sorry as I should have been better.
—@cochraneryanCochrane was coming off a bronze in the 400 on Sunday that was the first-ever medal for Canada in that event at the world championships. It was a pleasant surprise in that the 400 is considered Cochrane's third-best event.
He'll now turn his attention to his preferred distance, the 1,500, with heats going on Saturday.
Cochrane has won the world silver in the 1,500 three times running, and also owns a pair of Olympic medals at that distance.
I realize how lucky I am to have another chance at these World Championships to get right for my 1500...time to get back to work <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/teamCanada?src=hash">#teamCanada</a>
—@cochraneryanCanadians fall short
Day 3 of the meet ended early for Canada as none of its swimmers were able to advance through their heats.
Edmonton's Richard Funk finished 20th in the men's 50m breaststroke with a time of 27.71.
Cameron Van Der Burgh of South Africa swam 26.62 to break the first men's world record at this meet after four women's marks were set over the opening two days. The women's assault on the record books continued Tuesday when American Katie Ledecky lowered her own world record by 2.23 seconds in winning the 1,500 freestyle, breaking the mark she'd set in the prelims on Monday.
In the women's 200m freestyle, Emily Overholt of West Vancouver finished 21st and Montreal's Katerine Savard was 26th.
Wednesday's heats will include Pan Am Games champion Audrey Lacroix in the women's 200m butterfly, and Santo Condorelli in the men's 100 freestyle, where his time of 47.98 is the fastest in the world this year.
Richard 5th in high diving
Cochrane's 400m bronze remains Canada's only swimming medal at the world aquatics championships in Kazan, where swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo and diving championships are all being held.
Canada's three-metre and 10m divers won four silver medals before their events closed on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Lysanne Richard of Chicoutimi, Que., finished fifth in the women's high diving event. She was Canada's only entry in either men's or women's competition in the sport.
Instead of using a board over a pool, high divers compete outdoors, leaping from a height of 27m for the men and 20m for the women. The sport has its roots in daredevil jumps off cliffs. Twisting and somersaulting in the air, high divers fall so fast that they must land feet first.