Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook Smashes World Record in the 200m Breaststroke in 2:05.95

OLYMPIC CHAMPION BECOMES WORLD RECORD HOLDER: The moment Zac Stubblety-Cook became the sixth Australian to hold the world record in the 200m breaststroke in Adelaide tonight. Photo courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Zac Stubblety-Cook Smashes World Record in the 200 Breaststroke in 2:05.95

Australia’s Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook has tonight smashed the world record in the 200m breaststroke in a stunning 2:05.95 (1:01.89), setting the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre alight in Adelaide.

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OH YEAH: That’s a world record look if ever there was one from Zac Stubblety-Cook (left) with Tokyo team mate Matthew Wilson just as stoked for his team mate. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

The 23-year-old from Brisbane was 0.17 under the previous mark of 2:06.12 set by Russian Anton Chupkov at the 2019 World Championships – the first man under 2:06.00.

Here are the new world record splits: 29.43; 1:01.89; 1:34.32 for his 2:05.95 with these 50m splits – 29.43; 32.46; 32.43 and home in 31.63 – his second 100 was 1:04.06.

But it was his Tokyo team mate and former world record holder Matthew Wilson (SOPAC, NSW; coach Adam Kable) who set the world pace splitting 29.22 (faster than Chupkov’s 29.73).

Then Stubblety-Cook powered towards the 100m mark, hitting the wall faster than the reknowned back-ender, Chupkov’s 1:02.22 with that 1:01.89.

Wilson too was also under the WR pace, with his split of 1:02.17. But it was the signal for Stubblety-Cook to unleash his own trademark second 100 as he chased the world record line on Amazon Prime Video.

Stubblety-Cook charged down the final 50m with Wilson, who equaled the world record in a semi-final swim at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, in hot pursuit – with the boy from Brisbane absolutely ecstatic when he touched the wall.

The crowd, including his father in the grandstand jumping for joy, when the 2:05.95 lit up the scoreboard – Wilson second in 2:10.14 – the bonus of a World Championship and Commonwealth Games qualifying time with Adam Sellwood (Propulsion, VIC) third in 2:13.68.

HIGH FIVES: Zac gets the WR high five from Matthew Wilson Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

Coached by master coach Vince Raleigh at Chandler in Brisbane, he becomes the sixth Australian to hold the world record – joining Australian breaststroke royalty John Davies ( 1952), Terry Gathercole (1958), Ian O’Brien (1964), Christian Sprenger (2009) and Matthew Wilson (2019) – second to Stubblety-Cook tonight.

Davies, O’Brien and Stubblety-Cook are also all Olympic champions.

“I can’t really believe it to be honest,” a surprised Stubblety-Cook told Amazon Prime’s pool deck interviewer, Olympic gold medallist Giaan Rooney.

“ I was obviously trying to swim fast here…but I didn’t think that fast…but I’m very, very happy with that. Last year (at the Olympics) you put everything in and we got that result but this year there is a lot less pressure.

“It’s a different kettle of fish and it’s nice not to have that pressure so I’m just stoked with that.

“The end goal (of course) is Paris in 2024 but obviously whatever happens in between (like World’s and Comm. Games) I’m just going to enjoy my swimming.

“And there will be a lot of fast racing this year and a lot of good competitors and (this bloke here next to me) Matthew Wilson will be one of those; he’ll be great to race the rest of the year.”

IF THE CAP FITS: King of the rings Zac Stubblety-C0ok. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

Stubblety-Cook admitted winning the Olympics relieved a lot of tension, saying: “It gives you the confidence to achieve something you put your mind to – that is the biggest thing I’ve gotten out of it and I’m really looking forward to the future…”

Sending a clear message to the world that: “There is always room for improvement….”

And Wilson said he could hear the crowd go up.

“I was still five metres out from the wall and I knew Zac had that world record before I touched the wall,” said Wilson, who remembered what it was like himself to be a world record holder for a day, when he equalled the previous mark in the World Championship semi-final in 2019 before Chupkov’s 2:06.12 in the final.

“I know what Zac’s going through now..it’s pure elation. He’s going to have a lot of messages on Facebook – but I know he’s going to enjoy being the new world record holder – the first man under 2:06.00 which is just insane so congrats to Zac, that was huge.”

Wilson himself was actually quite stoked to get the qualifying time for the World’s and Commonwealth Games.”

“I have only done about three (specific) 200m sessions since I’ve been back in the pool after shifting my focus towards the 100m just to mix it up and to try and enjoy training again and enjoy the racing,” said Wilson.

“So that last 50n hurt….alot .but I’m just so stoked I could scrape in there.”

SHARING THE LOVE: Zac Stubblety-Cook and Matthew Wilson. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

MAGICAL MOMENT: World’s fastest 200m breaststroker, Zac Stubblety-Cook. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

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Ward Murphy

1 year ago

Amazing!