Race Video: Men’s 100 Back Final with .15 Separating Xu, Grevers, Murphy

2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
• Budapest, Hungary
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With only 15/100 separating the gold medal from the bronze, the men’s 100m backstroke final could not have been much closer. China’s Xu Jiayu got his hand to the wall first, followed in quick succession by Americans Matt Grevers and Ryan Murphy.

Watch the entire race below courtesy of NBC Sports.

Write-up by Loretta Race:

MEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• World Record: Ryan Murphy, 51.85, 2016
• Championship Record: Aaron Peirsol, 52.19, 2009
• Junior World Record: Kliment Kolesnikov, 53.65, 2016
• GOLD – Xu Jiayu, CHN, 52.44
• SILVER – Matt Grevers, USA, 52.48
• BRONZE – Ryan Murphy, 52.59

In an incredibly close race, the top 3 men all finished within .15 of one another, led by China’s Xu Jiayu. He entered this meet with the #1 time in the world (51.86) and delivered on that potential here, spitting 25.12/27.32 for gold in a final time of 52.44. Right behind, however, was a battle for silver, with the two Americans in the race doing their best to catch Xu before the 50m ran out.

Matt Grevers turned it on the last 15m to close in on Xu, but settle for silver in 52.48, after having missed out on the Olympic team. Current world record holder Ryan Murphy split 25.46/27.13 for bronze in 52.59.

Defending world champion Mitch Larkin of Australia wound up in 6th place with a time of 53.24, off the podium. He’ll contest both the 50m and 200m backstroke races later in the meet.

For Xu, he just earned China’s first-ever World Championships medal in the men’s 100m backstroke event.