{"id":230243,"date":"2016-11-22T14:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=230243"},"modified":"2016-11-23T08:40:29","modified_gmt":"2016-11-23T15:40:29","slug":"mary-t-meagher-was-way-before-her-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/mary-t-meagher-was-way-before-her-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary T. Meagher Was Way Before Her Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alec Scott, Swimming World College Intern<\/em><\/p>\n

In light of Katie Ledecky<\/strong>\u2019s recent jaw-dropping performances, I decided to write about the last athlete to have that kind of success and swim times that transcend their era in the sport. Mary T. Meagher<\/strong><\/a> exuded a level of dominance and untouchable record-breaking swims in her time that has been matched only by Ledecky. At the age of 14, \u201cMadame Butterfly\u201d set a world record in the 200 meter butterfly with a 2:07.01\u2014she would go on to hold the world record in the event for 21 years until Australian Susie O\u2019Neill<\/strong> broke it in the year 2000. That time still stands as 13-14 the national age group record 37 years later.<\/p>\n

Meagher swam for Lakeside swim team in Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati Marlins for Coach Dennis Pursley<\/strong>. She swam alongside fellow Olympians Tori Trees<\/strong>, Lisa Buese<\/strong> and Glenn Mills<\/strong>. During my time swimming for Coach Pursley at Alabama he often alluded to the fabled training habits of Mary T. Suggesting on more than one occasion that she could swim a 3000 meter butterfly for time faster than most of us could do it freestyle. And I believe it, Coach Pursley is not the type to pull your leg about the way the one of the best athletes ever trained.<\/p>\n

Meagher\u2019s performance at the 1981 U.S. National Championships is one of the greatest in the history of sport. Her time of 57.93 in the 100 meter butterfly lowered the world record by over a second and stood for 18 years until Jenny Thompson<\/strong> was able to eclipse it in 1999. Meagher\u2019s 200 meter butterfly at those same championships is arguably the most dominant in in the history of swimming. Her time of 2:05.96 stood as the world record for 19 years and is still a world class time by today\u2019s standards. Meagher would have easily qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic team with a 2:05.96 and would have just missed out on a medal in Rio.<\/p>\n