Gibb finishes 12th in 50 freestyle race
Petersburg alumnus posts swim time that qualifies him for the U.S. Olympic Trials
Derek Gibb, a 1999 Petersburg High School graduate, finished 12th overall and fourth in the B Final in the 50-meter freestyle race Saturday at the World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.
The World University Games, also known as the Universiade, had its closing ceremonies today (Korea time). The Universiade takes place every two years with summer and winter versions, and is for athletes ages 17-28 who are current university students or within a year of their graduation.
Gibb, who will be a senior for defending NCAA swim champion Auburn this year, posted a time of 23.32 seconds in the B Final, or consolation final. While that time wasn't good enough for a medal, it was fast enough to qualify Gibb for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. The U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying time is 23.39.
Vyacheslav Shyrshov of the Ukraine won the gold medal in 22.59, followed by Slovenia's Peter Mankoc in 22.77 and Russia's Andrei Kaoralov in 22.81 for the bronze medal. None of the other five swimmers in the A Final broke the 23-second barrier.
A pair of Italians finished 1-2 in the B Final, with Giacomo Vassanelli winning in 23.09 and Ermanno Felice second in 23.15. Min Soek Kim of South Korea took third place in 23.31, followed by Gibb and his Auburn teammate Matt Kidd of Great Britain in 23.47.
Gibb swam in the seventh eight-man preliminary heat Saturday morning. The other American in the race, Scott Greenwood, raced in the fifth preliminary heat and didn't advance to either final.
Gibb finished fourth in his heat, which featured the eventual gold and bronze medalists. Gibb posted a time of 23.36 in the heat, which trailed Shyrshov's winning time of 22.98, Kaoralov's 23.08 and a 23.35 turned in by Ivo Benda of the Czech Republic. Gibb was fourth in the heat and Kidd took fifth in 23.40. Benda later finished seventh in the B Final.
The 50 free was Gibb's only individual event of the Universiade, his first major international competition. Earlier this week, Gibb competed on the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team for the United States that finished seventh overall. Gibb was a last-minute addition to the relay team.
In the swimming races, the United States won 21 medals (three golds, 10 silver, eight bronze). The U.S. was followed by the Ukraine with 19 medals, while China and Japan tied for third with 16 medals. Auburn swimmers, including those swimming for non-U.S. teams, won 11 swimming medals (two gold, five silver and four bronze).