T&T's Nikoli Blackman could not reproduce the form he displayed that earned him the gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle on Wednesday.
Contesting the 100m freestyle final of the World Aquatic Junior Championships in Netanya, Israel on the penultimate day on Saturday, Blackman was sixth overall in a time of 49.54 seconds, a distant behind the eventual winner Maximus Williamson of the United States in 48.45 seconds.
Williamson has been on fire for the United States this week, and he took the gold medal which was just off the 48.38, he swam leading off the mixed freestyle relay earlier in the week. Williamson got under Jonny Kulow's mark from earlier this year by two-hundredths.
Blackman's victory in the half-lap race came at 22.35 on Wednesday but yesterday, it was a much slower swim in the first half of the event, with the 18-year-old making the split at 23.75 seconds in the overall fifth position.
He then faded in the second half of the race as both Lorenzo Ballarati of Italy and Croatia's Vlaho Nenadic who occupied the sixth and seventh positions respectively at the split, moved ahead of him at the finish line.
Williamson won the race by more than a half second and was the only swimmer sub-49. Italy’s Ballarti swam a big personal best time for silver, dropping seven-tenths from the 49.75 he swam at European Juniors.
Edward Sommerville who helped Australia to a world junior record in the mixed 4×100 free relay, made it 3-for-3 best times on the podium. Sommerville clocked 49.16 to easily snag the final spot on the podium. That undercuts the 49.53 he swam in the semifinals for a new personal best.
RESULTS
Maximus Williamson (USA) — 48.45
Lorenzo Ballarati (ITA) — 49.05
Edward Sommerville (AUS) — 49.16
Davide Passafaro (ITA) — 49.42
Vlaho Nenadic (CRO) — 49.50
Nikoli Matthew Harold Blackman (TTO) — 49.54
Pedro Sansone (BRA) — 49.67
Filip Senc-Samardzic (CAN) — 50.09
