COLUMBIA, Missouri, February 16. FOR the second year in a row, the Missouri Grand Prix has hosted a world record. After witnessing Michael Phelps lower the 200 fly standard last year during an untapered effort, fans in Mizzou were lucky enough to watch Kirsty Coventry track down Krisztina Egerszegi's 200 back global standard.
Coventry clocked a time of 2:06.39 to erase the second-oldest record on the books as Egerszegi touched in 2:06.62 in Athens, Greece on Aug. 25, 1991.
Coventry posted splits of 30.15, 32.02, 32.34 and 31.88 en route to the record.
Margaret Hoelzer (2:10.76) and Mary DeScenza (2:12.40) completed the top three in the race.
Within hours of the record, Speedo sent out a release reminding everyone that Coventry competed in the new LZR RACER swimsuit. Additionally, Katie Hoff swam in the LZR RACER during her women's 400 free American record just a bit later in the day with a 4:02.20, just off the world record of 4:02.13 held by Laure Manaudou.
Notably, Coventry is the first swimmer from Zimbabwe to hold the record.
Progressions
Courtesy of USA Swimming
3:06.8 Sybil Bauer USA Brighton Beach 7/4/1922
3:03.8 Sybil Bauer USA Miami 2/9/1924
2:59.2 Marie Braun NETH Brussels 11/24/1928
2:58.8 Eleanor Holm USA Buffalo 2/1/1930
2:58.2 Eleanor Holm USA New York 3/1/1930
2:50.4 Phyllis Harding ENG Wallasey 9/19/1932
2:49.6 Rie Mastenbroek NETH Amsterdam 1/20/1935
2:48.7 Eleanor Holmes USA Toledo 3/3/1936
2:44.6 Dina Senff NETH Amsterdam 2/2/1937
2:41.3 Ragnhild Hveger DEN Aarhus 2/14/1937
2:41.0 Cor Knit NETH Aarhus 4/17/1938
2:40.6 Iet Van Feggelen DEN Dusseldorf 10/26/1938
2:39.0 Iet Van Feggelen DEN Amsterdam 12/18/1938
2:38.8 Cor Knit NETH Rotterdam 11/29/1939
2:35.3^ Geertje Wielma NETH Hilversum 4/2/1950
2:39.9y Phillipa Gould NZL Auckland 1/16/1957
2:38.5y Lenie de Nijs NED Blackpool 5/17/1957
2:37.4y Christine von Saltza USA Topeka 8/1/1958
2:37.1 Satoko Tanaka JPN Tokyo 7/12/1959
2:34.8 Satoko Tanaka JPN Tokyo 4/2/1960
2:33.5 Lynn Burke USA Indianapolis 7/15/1960
2:33.3 Satoko Tanaka JPN Tokyo 7/23/1960
2:33.2 Satoko Tanaka JPN Tokyo 7/30/1961
2:32.1 Satako Tanaka JPN Beppu 6/3/1962
2:31.6 Satako Tanaka JPN Osaka 7/29/1962
2:29.6y Satako Tanaka JPN Sydney 2/10/1963
2:28.9 Satoko Tanaka JPN Perth 2/18/1963
2:28.5 Satoko Tanaka JPN Perth 2/21/1963
2:28.2 Satoko Tanaka JPN Tokyo 8/4/1963
2:27.4 Catherine Ferguson USA Los Angeles 9/28/1964
2:27.1 Karen Muir SAF Beziers 7/25/1966
2:26.4 Karen Muir SAF Lincoln 8/18/1966
2:24.4 Elaine Tanner CAN Winnipeg 7/26/1967
2:24.1y Karen Muir SAF Kimberley 1/26/1968
2:23.8 Karen Muir SAF Los Angeles 7/21/1968
2:22.5 Susan Atwood USA Louisville 8/14/1969
2:20.64 Melissa Belote USA Chicago 8/5/1972
2:20.58 Melissa Belote USA Munich 9/4/1972
2:19.19 Melissa Belote USA Munich 9/4/1972
2:18.41 Ulrike Richter GDR Rostock 7/7/1974
2:17.35 Ulrike Richter GDR Vienna 8/25/1974
2:16.33 Nancy Garapick CAN Brantford 4/27/1975
2:16.10 Birgit Treiber GDR Wittenberg 6/6/1975
2:15.46 Birgit Treiber GDR Cali 7/25/1975
2:14.41 Antje Stille GDR Berlin 2/29/1976
2:13.5 Antje Stille GDR Tallin 3/13/1976
2:12.47 Birgit Treiber GDR Berlin 6/4/1976
2:11.93 Linda Jezek USA Berlin 8/24/1978
2:11.77 Rica Reinisch GDR Moscow 7/27/1980
2:09.91 Cornelia Sirch GDR Guayaquil 8/7/1982
2:08.60 Betsy Mitchell USA Orlando 6/27/1986
2:06.62^ Krisztina Egerszegi HUN Athens 8/25/1991
2:06.39 Kirsty Coventry ZIM Columbia 2/16/2008
^ indicates a change in FINA regulations.
