Plethora of Records Fall at FINA World Masters

STANFORD, Calif., Aug. 6. A plethora of world records went down at the FINA World Masters Championships held at the Belardi and Baker pools at the Avery Aquatic Center on the campus of Stanford University on Saturday. The longest running standard to go down previously belonged to the United States’ Ray Taft since 1995 as his countryman Graham Johnston surpassed the men’s 75-79 100-mter freestyle in 1:10.92.

World Records broken are as follows:
A trio of United States’ swimmers (Sean Murphy, John Engs and Ross Davis) broke the men’s 40-44 200-meter backstroke record of 2:15.49 previously held by countryman William Specht since 1999, but Murphy touched first in 2:13.37.

United States’ Rich Saeger stopped the clock in 53.45 to lower the men’s 40-44 100-meter freestyle record of 53.50 previously held by him since 2005.

United States’ Richard Schroeder touched in 1:08.92 to surpass the men’s 45-49 100-meter breaststroke record of 1:09.38 previously held by Sweden’s Glen Christiansen since 2002.

United States’ Trip Hedrick lowered his own men’s 50-54 100-meter freestyle record of 55.41 set in 2004 with a 55.38.

United States’ Patty Landers touched in 2:43.14 to eclipse the women’s 50-54 200-meter backstroke record of 2:45.08 previously held by Italy’s Cristina Tarantino since 2005.

Three swimmers (Germany’s Dagmar Frese, Canada’s Avila Rhodes and United States’ Melinda Mann) cleared the women’s 50-54 100-meter breaststroke record of 1:24.85 previously set by Germany’s Petra Schroer in 2004, but Frese ended up with the record in 1:23.47.

Norway’s Alexander Mills touched in 57.85 to break the men’s 55-59 100-meter freestyle record of 58.23 previously held by United States’ Richard Abrahams since 2002.

United States’ Laura Val posted a 1:02.63 to shatter the women’s 55-59 100-meter freestyle record of 1:06.80 previously held by Netherlands’ Jacoba Boer-Buijs since 2005.

A pair of United States’ swimmers (Robert Strand and Ken Frost) broke the men’s 60-64 100-meter breaststroke record of 1:18.28 previously held by Finland’s Albert Kostitsyn since 2002, but Strand put his hand on the wall first with a 1:16.38.

United States’ Betty Barnett-Sallee clocked a 2:50.16 to crush the women’s 60-64 200-meter backstroke record of 2:58.02 previously held by Japan’s Satoko Takeuji since 2002.

United States’ John Calvert registered a 2:39.01 to break the men’s 60-64 200-meter backstroke record of 2:39.50 previously held by New Zealand’s Barry Young since 2002.

United States’ Graham Johnston broke one of the longest-standing records with a 1:10.92 in the men’s 75-79 100-meter freestyle to surpass the 1:13.84 tallied by the United States’ Ray Taft in 1995.

Britain’s Jane Asher collected her second global standard with a 1:20.15 to far surpass the women’s 75-79 100-meter freestyle record of 1:26.36 previously held by the United States’ Gail Roper since 2005.

United States’ Audrey Etienne squeaked by countrywoman Aileen Soule’s 10-year-old standard of 2:19.62 set in 1996 by collecting a 2:19.14 in the women’s 90-94 100-meter freestyle.

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