Flash! 1988 Olympian Has Blast From Past; Radke Qualifies First in 50 Freestyle

By M. Duncan Scott

PALO ALTO, Calif., August 7. KATRINA Radke, 33, Swimcraft, blasted to a :25.92 50 freestyles this morning, the only sub-26.00 performance in the competition. She is the lead qualifier by .29 seconds, a goodly margin in a 50 freestyle at this level.

Radke, in her earlier competitive incarnation was an aerobic-oriented athlete who placed 5th in the 200 butterfly in the Seoul Olympics. After years away from the sport and suffering chronic fatigue, she has bounced back with vigor.

Just a couple of years ago her primary contact with swimming was as one of the leading proponents in the San Francisco bay area bid to host the Olympic Games. Now she’s again swimming on the same plane as some who will step to the blocks in Athens.

Radke’s time (not to mention her seed of :25.89) are faster than the listed FINA world record for women 30-34 by Toni Jeffs of New Zealand in 2002. As it is not in a Master’s competition it won’t break the record (i.e. :24.63 from 33-year old Dara Torres in 2000), but it is still worthy of honored note.

Dara Torres, Inge "Inky" De Bruijn, Jenny Thompson, … Katrina Radke. Thirty’s not much of a barrier in the women’s 50!

————-
From official results
Event 30 Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle
==================================================================
World: W 24.13 9/22/2000 Inge de Bruijn, NED
American: A 24.63 9/23/2000 Dara Torres, USA
U.S. Open: U 24.50 7/23/2000 Inge de Bruijn, NED
LC Nationals: M 24.90 8/16/2000 Dara Torres, Stanford
Sum National: 26.79
Name Age Team Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Prelims ===

1 Radke, Katrina 33 Swimcraft-PC 25.89 25.92
2 Bishop, Brooke 17 Palo Alto Stanfo 26.25 26.21
3 Townsend, Danielle 20 Aggie Swim Club- 26.05 26.35
4 Georoff, Andrea 21 Athens Bulldog-G 25.94 26.38
5 Hentschel, Susan 19 Wash. Twp. Wave- 23.24Y 26.40
5 Boncher, Brooke 21 Nova of Virginia 26.21 26.40
7 Jamison, Tanica 22 Longhorn Aquatic 26.04 26.46
8 Boutwell, Lacey 21 Palo Alto Stanfo 26.29 26.56
8 Vandenberg, Kimberly 20 Ucla Swimming-CA 23.09Y 26.56
Swim-Off Required ———————————————-

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use