• Swimming World Championships

Jamieson and Willis fall short

ESPN staff
August 2, 2013
Michael Jamieson could not secure a place on the podium in Barcelona © Getty Images
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British pair Michael Jamieson and Andrew Willis finished fifth and fourth respectively to narrowly miss out on the medals in the World Championships 200m breaststroke final.

Willis finished just 0.18 seconds off the podium in Barcelona with a time of two minutes 9.63 seconds, one hundredth ahead of Olympic silver medallist Jamieson.

Hungary's Daniel Gyurta took gold, while Marco Koch of Germany finished runner up with Finland's Matti Mattson winning bronze.

Jamieson, 24, arrived in Barcelona having damaged his bicep earlier this year, which almost made him miss the British trials in June.

"I couldn't have done much more there," Jamieson said.

"My real strength is that back-end 50m and it's strength and fitness that gives you that, which I don't really have here. I've just gone beyond that kind of threshold.

"In the last couple of weeks I've just been losing fitness and unfortunately this has just come at the wrong time."

Willis added: "Without any excuses that should have been quicker.

"I've changed my mindset this year to focus on medals and I think I held my nerve a bit better in the big race, but to miss out by that much [on a medal] is a bit gutting really."

American Ryan Lochte added victories in the 200m backstroke final - in which Britain's Craig McNally finished sixth - and the 4x200m freestyle relay with the USA to his 200m individual medley title from Thursday.

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