Five Masters World Marks Shattered at Arizona Long Course Champs

By Phillip Whitten
PHOENIX, Arizona. July 28. FIVE Masters world records were broken in the blistering 110-degree heat of the Sonoran summer at the Arizona Masters Long Course Championships, held at the Phoenix Swim Club. But you had to be named "Ron" to set one.

Dr. Ron Karnaugh (Phoenix Swim Club Masters) set three global marks in the men's 35-39 age group, while Ron Johnson (Sun Devils Masters) chipped in with two for men 70-74.

Karnaugh, 35, an orthopedic surgeon, began the record-smashing when he posted a time of 2:07.16 for the 200 meter backstroke. The old mark, set last year, was 2:09.26 held by Dan Veatch (USA).

Karnaugh's second record came in the 200 meter individual medley, where his time of 2:08.52 obliterated the 25 day-old record of 2:12.03 set by Russia's Alexei Vlasenko at the European Championships in Mallorca.

The 6'5" physician finished up a perfect day when he stopped the clock at 2;21.87 in the 200 meter breaststroke, slashing the global standard of 2:24.37 set by Texas' David Guthrie almost exactly six years ago.

Ron Johnson, who also coaches the Sun Devils Masters, began his record-breaking assault by swimming the 100 meter freestyle in 1:06.55. The former record for men 70-74 was 1:08.27 set by the USA's Chuck Bladwin last year.

In the 100 meter butterfly, Johnson clocked 1;21.64, more than three seconds under Joe Kurtzman's mark of 1:24.84, which had stood for over five years.

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