The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Feigen, Hill and Klueh win gold for USA at World University Games
08.15.2011 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Aug. 15, 2011
SHENZHEN, China - Texas senior Jimmy Feigen and junior Dax Hill won gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay, and Texas-Ex Michael Klueh won gold in the 800m freestyle to cap day two for current and former Texas swimmers at the 2011 World University Games.
In the 400m freestyle relay finals, Feigen (San Antonio, Texas) led off in 49.27 seconds to put the United States in the lead for good, as he joined Tim Phillips, Kohlton Norys and Robert Savulich to claim the gold medal in 3 minutes, 15.84 seconds. Brazil won silver in 3:17.30 and France won the bronze in 3:18.78.
Hill (Round Rock, Texas) also won a gold medal in the 400m freestyle relay after competing for the USA in the event's preliminary round. Hill helped the Americans to first place in the preliminary round after splitting 49.30 on the relay's second leg.
In the 800m freestyle, Klueh trailed Italy's Rocco Potenza by over a second at the 700-meter mark before cutting significantly into the margin at the 750m mark. Klueh blazed past Potenza in the end and out-split the Italian by nearly two seconds in the final 50 meters on his way to victory in 7 minutes, 52.31 seconds. Potenza won the silver in 7:53.45, and Japan's Yohsuke Miyamoto claimed the bronze in 7:56.29.
"I swam fast the first 200m, and in the middle of the race I just paced myself to keep in contact with [Potenza]," Klueh told USA Swimming. "There was nothing else in my mind but to speed up the last 100m."
Klueh's gold medal is his first individual gold medal in two appearances at the World University Games. He helped the USA to gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle relays and won silver in the 400m freestyle at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
Feigen will represent the USA on Tuesday in the 100m freestyle.
