Browsing: Competition

Liu Zige of China bettered the 200 butterfly world record with more than a second, with a time of 2:04.18 where the former world record of Jessicah Schipper from the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships was 2:05.40. And Australia’s Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barrat, Kylie Palmer and Linda Mackenzie swam the 800 free relay with a time of 7:44.31, where USA’s world record from the 2007 World Championships was 7:50.09.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

In the 100 freestyle semifinals, the world record of 47.24 was bettered first by Alan Bernard with a time of 47.20, and then by Eamon Sullivan with a time of 47.05. Federica Pellegrini bettered her own 200 freestyle world record from 1:55.45 in the heats to 1:54.82 in the final. Michael Phelps bettered his 200 butterfly world record from 1:52.09 to 1:52.03. Stephanie Rice bettered the 200 IM world record from 2:08.92 to 2:08.45. And finally, USA bettered the 4×200 freestyle world record from 7:03.24 to 6:58.56.

Sources: SwimInfo, here here, here, here, here and here.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set a new world record in the 100 back semifinal with a time of 58.77. Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima became the first man under 59 seconds in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.91. And Eamon Sullivan led off Australia’s 4×100 freestyle relay with a 100 free world record time of 47.24, in a blistering race where 5 teams went under the 4×100 world record mark from yesterday, and USA just barely overtook France at the finish to claim the gold and world record time of 3:08.24.

Sources: SwimInfo here, here and here

Both 400 IM world records were bettered at the 2008 Olympics yesterday, when first USA’s Michael Phelps swam 4:03.84, smashing his own world record of 4:05.25 from the U.S. Olympic Trials, and Australia’s Stephanie Rice swam 4:29.45, more than half a second faster than the 4:31.12 of Katie Hoff from the U.S. Trials.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

On July 5th, Margaret Hoelzer set a new 200 meter backstroke world record with the time of 2:06.09, beating Kirsty Coventry’s world standard of 2:06.39 from February.

Source: SwimInfo

On July 4th, Aaron Piersol tied Ryan Lochte’s 200 backstroke world record, and Phelps set a new 200 IM world record in the time of 1:54.80. Lochte swam 1:54.34 in the 200 backstroke, and 1:55.22 in the 200 IM (third fastest time in history).

Source: SwimInfo here and here