Swimming World Presents “Breaststroke Barrier Busters: The History of the Men’s 100 and 200 Yard Breaststroke”

Swimming World February 2020 - Breaststroke Barrier Busters - The History of the Mens 100 and 200 Yard Breaststroke - Will Licon
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Breaststroke Barrier Busters: The History of the Men’s 100 and 200 Yard Breaststroke

By David Rieder

The history of the men’s 100 and 200 yard breaststroke has included long stretches of chasing legendary records followed by a shorter period of continuous improvement.

For fans of swimming over the past six years, the action in the short course yards version of the men’s 100 breaststroke has focused on the chase for the 50-second barrier, which Kevin Cordes first set in motion in 2014 and Ian Finnerty finally achieved in 2018.

But this story begins in 1983, when SMU’s Steve Lundquist, who had two years earlier become the first man ever to crack 53, recorded a 52.48 in the event. That would stand as the American and U.S. Open record for an amazing 14 years, until Tennessee junior Jeremy Linn returned from winning a silver medal in the long course 100 breast at the Atlanta Olympics to wipe Lundquist’s name from the record books. Linn would smash the record with a 51.86 at the 1997 SEC Championships.

And to top that mark, it would take another decade.

Just like its shorter cousin, the men’s 200 breast saw two long stretches of single-swimmer dominance before the turn of the 21st century saw faster times in the event, with three men accounting for most of the heavy lifting of record-lowering.

The standards stood first to Lundquist, whose 1:55.01 in 1981 had smashed the existing record by an astounding 2.77 seconds, and then to Michigan’s Mike Barrowman, who clobbered that with a 1:53.77 in 1990 that would last as the American and U.S. Open record for 11 years.

To access the full article on the history of  breaststroke’s barrier busters, 
Check out the February issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!

Swimming World February 2020 Cover - Ranomi Kromowidjojo

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017 BREASTSTROKE BARRIER BUSTERS
by David Rieder
The history of the men’s 100 and 200 yard breaststroke has included long stretches of chasing legendary records followed by a shorter period of continuous improvement.

019 LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY
by David Rieder
Minnesota’s Max McHugh was involved in a drive-by shooting last summer, but he believes the incident has left him with a fresh perspective and gratitude for everyday things in his life, including swimming. That approach has fueled his impressive return to the pool.

021 A SENSE OF DÉJÀ VU
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
Savannah College of Art and Design (NAIA women), Keiser University (NAIA men) and Indian River State College (NJCAA women and men) appear ready to show the swimming world something it has seen before: repeating as national team champions.

023 THE FIRE INSIDE STILL BURNS
by John Lohn
When discussing the best women’s sprint freestylers heading into this year’s Olympic Games, most frequently mentioned are Australia’s Cate Campbell, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and the USA’s Simone Manuel. But don’t count out triple Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands, who feels her best swims are still to come.

025 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: DUKE
by John Lohn
As Swimming World continues its “Takeoff to Tokyo” series, a century has passed since Duke Kahanamoku last reigned over the water world, but his name—and merely his first name—remains synonymous with greatness in  multiple ways.

027 THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
by Dan D’Addona
The future looks bright for junior diver Ashley McCool after transferring to the University of Florida.

COACHING

009 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: CHARLES “RED” SILVIA
by Michael J. Stott

013 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: PLAN FOR A BREATHING PATTERN
by Rod Havriluk
Swimmers should plan a breathing pattern prior to each swim to gain the most benefit for both racing and training. The breathing pattern should limit head motion for better focus on technique and also provide sufficient oxygen for better performance.

015 POOR PERFORMANCE… THE NEXT STEP
by Michael J. Stott
At one time or another, disappointment haunts the dreams of even the best swimmers. And often it is the recovery from that disappointment that defines the athlete and, perhaps, the swimmer’s future.

030 SPECIAL SETS: GEORGE HAINES AT WORK
by Michael J. Stott
It never hurts to be a student of the sport. Sometimes that means visiting archival material, be it documents, voices, videos or all of the above to reacquaint ourselves with coaching legends and the methods that made them so effective. Here, Swimming World features the legendary George Haines.

043 Q&A WITH COACH ADAM HOYT
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN ROGER GU AND GRACE GOETCHEUS
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

012 DRYSIDE TRAINING: STROKE STRENGTH SERIES—BUTTERFLY
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

040 GOLDMINDS: PARTNERING WITH PARENTS
by Wayne Goldsmith
A simple, but effective strategy for coaches to engage with, connect to and educate the parents of the swimmers on their team is through the development of a “Training Manual for Swimming Parents.”

046 UP & COMERS: ZURI FERGUSON
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

007 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

008 BEYOND THE YARDS

033 2020 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY

047 GUTTERTALK

048 PARTING SHOT

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