Flash! Adam Peaty Blasts 100 Breaststroke Short Course World Record in ISL Semifinals

Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL

Adam Peaty Blasts 100 Breaststroke World Record in ISL Semifinals

There is no doubt that Adam Peaty is the greatest 100 breaststroker in history, and with a short-course world record added to his ledger on Sunday afternoon, the British star only enhanced his legacy in the event.

Racing for the London Roar in the semifinals of the International Swimming League, Peaty took down South African Cameron van der Burgh’s 11-year-old world record in the 100 breaststroke, a clocking of 55.49 getting the job done. Van der Burgh set the former global standard of 55.61 at a 2009 World Cup stop in Berlin on this exact day, November 15, 11 years ago.

The reigning Olympic champion and charge of Mel Marshall, Peaty went out in 26.04 and came home in 29.45 to clip .12 off the previous record. Peaty was pushed the entire way by Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich, who was a hundredth back of Peaty at the midway point and touched in 55.69, the third-fastest performance in history.

In the long-course pool, Peaty has been the undisputed king of the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke for nearly a decade. There is no one who can carry the speed between the walls anywhere close to the Brit, evidenced in the fact that he is the only man to not only break the 58-second barrier, but also dip under the 57-second threshold.

However, Peaty has been challenged in the short-course format, a handful of rivals able to use their better turns to slightly neutralize Peaty. But on Sunday in the Duna Arena in Budapest, where the ISL bubble has been conducted, Peaty again proved that he has no peer in the 100 breast. Although Shymanovich appeared to have a slight edge on Peaty entering the final 25 meters, that margin quickly disappeared as Peaty shifted into his highest gear.

The possibility of Peaty producing a world record during the ISL semifinals was elevated when he delivered a sub-55 split in the 100 breaststroke on London’s 400 medley relay on Saturday. A day later, Peaty backed up that performance with the best short-course effort of his career.

World Record Progression:

55.49, Adam Peaty, GBR, 2020
55.61, Cameron van der Burgh, RSA, 2009
55.99, Cameron van der Burgh, RSA, 2009
56.88, Cameron van der Burgh, RSA, 2009
57.47, Ed Moses, USA, 2002
57.66, Ed Moses, USA, 2000
58.05, Ed Moses, USA, 2000
58.51, Roman Sludnov, RUS, 2000
58.79, Frédérik Deburghgraeve, BEL, 1998
59.02, Frédérik Deburghgraeve, BEL, 1996
59.07, Phil Rogers, AUS, 1993
59.30, Dmitry Volkov, RUS, 1990

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Ben Whaymand

3 years ago

More to come as well. Turns and finish sorted I can foresee a sub 55 in future.