Matt Grevers finally broke the world record he so desperately wanted — the 100m backstroke — while Missy Franklin set a US record in the 200m freestyle.
It was one nice Saturday for the US swimming team.
Eight different US swimmers broke national records and the men’s 400m freestyle relay closed out the weekend with yet another record-setting performance, helping the US pull away from the European All-Stars for a 155-107 victory at the Duel in the Pool.
Photo: AFP
“It’s so exciting, so awesome for us. It gives us a lot of momentum going into next year,” Franklin said after breaking Katie Hoff’s record with a time of 1 minute, 52.74 seconds for her only win in the two-day meet. “To have so many people do so well is really huge.”
Nobody was better — or happier — than Grevers, who was named the top male swimmer of the two-day meet.
While making two Olympic teams and winning four gold medals, the 30-year-old Grevers spent years chasing a record set by the US’ Nick Thoman in 2009. So when Grevers looked up and saw his time of 48.92, just ahead of Thoman’s 48.94, he was thrilled.
“Yeah! It was primal,” Grevers said, pumping his fist again as he explained his initial reaction. “I’ve never been one to slap the water, but I did slap the water and was flexing and all that kind of stuff, all those primal instincts. You don’t think of words in that moment.”
The US were so fast and so good they clinched their seventh straight victory in the Duel with four races to go — a stark contrast to two years ago, when they improved to 6-0 by winning the tiebreaking mixed medley relay.
When US coach Jack Bauerle left the Indiana University Natatorium on Friday night with a 74-48 lead, he warned it could get close again on Saturday.
Instead, his team seized control by winning the first six races, four in record times.
Russia’s Yuliya Efimova finally ended the streak by barely holding on for a win in the 100m breaststroke in 1 minute, 30.19 seconds. Katie Meili finished second in 1 minute, 3.2 seconds — good enough to break Jessica Hardy’s US record. Hardy wound up third.
Bauerle also claimed he was surprised the US broke a world record and set four US records on Friday night. His swimmers, many of whom are still training hard for next year’s Olympics in Rio, were not.
“It was created from the atmosphere here,” five-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte said. “It’s a really fast pool, and we feed off those guys and we carried that energy throughout the meet.”
Lochte won his first race, the 400m individual medley on Friday, and appeared to take his second in his final event on Saturday, the 200m individual medley. However, Lochte was disqualified and the victory went to 22-year-old teammate Josh Prenot.
The other records were set by Connor Jaeger (men’s 1,500m freestyle, 14 minutes, 19.29 seconds), Courtney Bartholomew (women’s 100m backstroke, 55.92 seconds), Cody Miller (men’s 100m breaststroke, 56.43 seconds), Cammile Adams (women’s 200m butterfly, 2 minutes, 3.39 seconds) and Tom Shields (men’s 200m butterfly, 1 minute, 49.05 seconds).
It was not just the US breaking records.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, who set three US Open records on Friday, added another on Saturday when she won the women’s 200m individual medley in 2 minutes, 3.66 seconds.
Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands tied her own 50m freestyle world record at 23.24 seconds.
“Last week, we swam in Israel and I was a little disappointed in my 50,” Kromowidjojo said after being named the weekend’s top female swimmer. “This week, I said: ‘I have another chance in the US.’ My 100 wasn’t good, but my 50 was, so it made it all good.”
Except, of course, for a lopsided score.
And if this record-smashing weekend demonstrated anything to the world, it was this: The US has plenty of talent backing up its biggest stars.
“At some point, I could say I was the best in the world. Today, I can, but you can’t let up, because I know Ryan Murphy is coming on my heels, and we all have somebody like that behind us,” Grevers said with a smile.
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