Australian teen Sam Short has stunned Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui to claim the men’s 400m freestyle title at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.
Short swam an incredible 3:40.68 to edge out the Tunisian star by 0.02 seconds in a thrilling finish. Germany’s Lukas Martens finished third with a time of 3:42.20.
“It’s bloody amazing,” he told Nine after the race.
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“I knew it was going to be a race in two with 100m left and he was the defending Olympic champion.
“I kind of got goosebumps knowing I was in a race with him and got my hand on the wall first. It’s a dream come true and hasn’t really sunk in yet. I claimed it and it feels good to flex in front of everyone.”
The win capped off an incredible 12 months for Short, who had a melanoma removed from his back last year.
”I’ve bounced back from last year amazing,” he said.
“All the struggles I went through last year, this is nothing compared to that really. I’m just enjoying the hard work I’ve put in the bank and I’m loving every bit of it.”
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