Swimmer Rebecca Meder adds another bronze to World Cup haul

Rebecca Meder returned to the podium at the second stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series in Westmont, Illinois, over the weekend, securing her third bronze medal of the competition.

The 23-year-old added to her haul of two bronze medals from the first stop a week earlier with another bronze in the 200m breaststroke on Saturday.

Meder stopped the clock at 2 minutes 18.88 seconds to secure third spot. Olympic champion Kate Douglass took the gold in 2:14.57, and fellow American Alex Walsh just edged the silver ahead of Meder in 2:18.54.

"It was another solid weekend of racing," Meder said. "Unfortunately, I started fighting a head cold on Wednesday, but I am grateful that I made finals for all of my races and finished 17th overall for this stop."

The New Zealand-based star, who reached all the finals of her respective events, finished fifth in the 100m breaststroke in 1:05.35. That race was also won by Douglass in 1:03.14. Douglass also set a world record in the 100m freestyle over the weekend. Ireland’s Mona McSharry took silver in 1:04.18 and American Alex Walsh the bronze in 1:04.45.

Meder finished seventh in her other event of the meet, the 100m individual medley, with a time of 58.31 seconds. The race was won by American Gretchen Walsh in a World Cup record time of 55.77 seconds.

"The 200m and 100m breaststroke events are relatively new; I’ve only been racing them internationally for a year," she explained. "So I am grateful for this experience where I get to race the world’s best and to learn and grow with every race. I am looking forward to another weekend of racing in Canada."

The third and final stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series takes place in Toronto, Canada, this week, from October 23-25. Meder heads into the competition currently ranked 14th overall in the women’s World Cup standings.