Fast times

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Aug 2003

World Records. Two world records were set in June. On June 14, Russia's Dmitri Komornikov, 22, set a global mark in the 200 meter breaststroke at the Mare Nostrum meet in Barcelona with a time of 2:09.52. Komornikov's time betters the old record of 2:09.97 set by Kosuke Kitajima of Japan at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, last October.

Komornikov's Splits: 30.11, 1:03.35 (33.24), 1:36.65 (33.30), 2:09.52 (32.87).

On June 29, the day before his 18th birthday, American swimming sensation Michael Phelps set a world record in the 200 meter individual medley. Swimming at the 36th Santa Clara International swim meet, the teen phenom clocked 1:57.94 to erase the oldest record on the books-Finland's Jani Sievinen's 1:58.16 set at the World Championships in Rome in September 1994. What makes Phelps' performance even more remarkable is that it was done while he was only beginning to taper for the World Championships in Barcelona in July.

Phelps' Splits: 25.72 (fly), 55.14 (29.42 back), 1:30.00 (34.86 breast), 1:57.94 (27.94 free).

Phelps now owns three world records, tying him with Australia's Ian Thorpe: the 200 meter butterfly, 400 meter individual medley and now, the 200 meter individual medley. What's more, he is only 3-hundredths of a second off the 100 meter butterfly mark.

The last man to hold world marks simultaneously in the two medleys and the 200 fly was Gary Hall Sr., more than 30 years ago. Tracy Caulkins achieved the same feat for women in 1978, though she "only" tied the world mark in the fly.

Big Ben Strikes. Ben Michaelson set an American record in the 100 meter (short course) fly at a USA Swimming meet in Wilton, Conn. Michaelson, who graces the cover of the June issue of Swimming World, clocked 51.55 seconds, well under the old record of 52.00 set by Nate Dusing at the 2000 NCAA men's meet in Minneapolis. Ben's splits: 24.0, 27.5.

Persistence Pays. On June 27, after 77 years of trying, the Malmo Swim Club finally won the men's 400 meter free relay at the Swedish National Championships. Time: 3:26.00.

Oldest Record. Time was when Masters swimmers in their 30s were considered doddering old geezers, needing their walkers to hobble up to the starting blocks. Then came Dr. Ron and Dara and Jenny, and age groupers realized, "Well maybe these escapees from the Old Folks Home could swim a few laps."

Now comes a relay team from Hendersonville, N.C. that is really pushing the envelope. On June 28, the team-whose members averaged 90 years old-set the oldest-ever world Masters relay mark in the 360 age group: 7:38.40 for the 200 meter free relay. The team (pictured below) with each swimmer's age and 50-meter relay splits in parentheses are: Boyd Campbell, 93 (2:27.21); Martin Rutter, 91 (1:18.63); Jim Scherbarth, 80 (1:22.55); and Harold Hoffmann, 96 (2:30.01).