Claire Curzan Drops Another Sub-50 Effort in 100-Yard Butterfly
Claire Curzan, the 16-year-old rising American star, is making sub-50 performances in the 100-yard butterfly a routine occurrence. Racing at the TAC Titans Blizzard Blitz Meet in North Carolina on Friday night, Curzan posted a time of 49.80, the second-fastest effort of her career. Curzan wasn’t far off her personal best of 49.73, which she recorded at the end of the summer.
In her latest outing, Curzan was out in 23.12 and came home in 26.68 to put her in a tie for the 13th-fastest performance in history. The U.S. Open record in the event is owned by Louise Hansson at 49.26 while the American record belongs to Erika Brown at 49.38.
Last month, Curzan flourished at the U.S. Open, which was held across nine sites, by winning the 100-meter butterfly in 56.61. That performance by Curzan firmly established her as a favorite to qualify for next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. She is expected to duel with the likes of Kelsi Dahlia and Torri Huske, among others, for a spot on the Team USA roster.
Charlotte Hook also had an impressive evening as she won the 200 freestyle in 1:45.38.