USA's Josh Prenot settles on silver in split-second 200 breaststroke finish
RIO DE JANEIRO — Josh Prenot’s record-setting time in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Olympic swim trials was just a preview of what he planned on doing at the Rio Games. Now, in addition to being the American record holder, he’s an Olympic medalist.
The 23-year-old Prenot, swimming his lone event at the Olympic Aquatics Center, won a silver medal Wednesday night, adding to Team USA’s haul that gets bigger by the night.
Prenot, an undersized swimmer at 5-foot-10, finished just 0.07 seconds behind Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Balandin and out-touched Russia’s Anton Chupkov, the bronze medalist, by 0.17 seconds in a tight finish.
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He was one of the best swimmers in the NCAA at Cal this season, winning the 400-meter individual medley – and finishing second in the 200 breaststroke behind Texas’ Will Licon, who beat him by more than two seconds but did not make the Olympic team.
American Kevin Cordes finished eighth after ending up 0.35 seconds short of a bronze in the 100-meter butterfly.
