Rebecca Soni Sets World Record in Women's 200-Meter Breaststroke Semis

Rebecca Soni hasn’t won the gold medal yet, but on Wednesday, she proved that she definitely has more than enough speed to pull it off.

In the semifinals of the women’s 200-meter breaststroke, Soni set a new world record.

Team USA’s official Twitter account tweeted about Soni’s historic race:

"

Wow - great job by @rebsoni breaking the world record in the 200m breaststroke semis!Time: 2:20.00.How fast will she go in the final?

— US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) August 1, 2012"

Soni blew away the competition, recording the best time by 2.23 seconds. Denmark’s Rikke Pedersen came in second and Japan’s Satomi Suzuki in third. If Soni brings it in the finals like she did on Wednesday, they won't have much of a chance.

The 25-year-old Soni is the Summer Olympic defending champion in the 200 breaststroke. In Beijing, she shocked the world by defeating Australia’s Leisel Jones. Jones had held the world record in the event before Soni shattered her gold-medal hopes and record that year.

But Soni didn’t break her own world record on Wednesday. Canada’s Annamay Pierse has held the record since 2009. Now, Soni has regained her record and is eyeing yet another gold medal in the event.

And if the pattern continues—Soni keeps achieving feats in twos—that second gold medal in the 200 breaststroke won’t evade her.

Earlier in the week, she won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke. Soni just so happened to take home silver in 2008 as well.

The 200-meter breaststroke final will take place at 2:40 p.m. ET on Thursday—or, for those who prefer to watch it on TV, 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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