Australian young gun Sam Short has been denied the gold medal in the men's 800-metre freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships despite setting a new national record.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old broke Grant Hackett's Australian record and swam the fourth fastest time in men's 800-metre freestyle history with an incredible 7:37.76, but was pipped to the gold medal by Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui (7:37.00).<\/p>\n
\ufeff"I\ufeff knew he'd come back fast as he did," Short told Nine after the race.<\/p>\n
"I got Hackett's Australian record, so that's one goal ticked off the list.<\/p>\n
"It was brutal. My strategy was to use my 400-metre speed to my advantage and to tire out Bobby (Finke).<\/p>\n
"I think I executed as well as I could today and that shows in my PB."<\/p>\n
USA's Finke, who was the reigning Olympic champion in the 800-metre freestyle, finished in third with a time of 7:38.67.<\/p>\n
MORE TO COME\ufeff<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"