Schmid’s Last Leg Sprint Lands Her a Swimming Gold…

Melanie Costa Schmid has the gold medal to prove it’s never too late to crash the party…

The 23-year-old Spanish singer won the gold medal in the women’s 400 freestyle Friday at the short-course world championships after accelerating in the final leg to win the race in 4:01.08.

Melanie Costa Schmid II

Schmid – who failed to qualify for the final in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics after finishing 9th in the heats – found herself behind the pack after the first 350 meters, which were dominated by  Lauren Boyle of New Zealand.

But in the last 25m, a successful final acceleration gave her the gold. Chloe Sutton of the United States won the silver in 4:01.20, and Boyle of New Zealand, who had dominated the first 350 meters, ended up coming in third in 4:01.24.

It’s the first gold medal on the world stage of Schmid’s career, after winning two silver and two bronze medals at the 2011 European Championships.