Photo by Joao Marc Bosch
TEMPE – Olympic champion Cesar Cielo and Swimming World’s Jeff Commings each set two Masters short course world records this weekend at the Ron Johnson Invitational under sunny skies in central Arizona.
Cielo, using the meet as prep for next month’s short course world championships, posted times of 21.37 in the 50 freestyle on Saturday and 47.43 in the 100 freestyle today. The 27-year-old smashed the Masters world records previously owned by Darian Townsend in the 25-29 age group. Townsend posted a 22.08 in the 50 and 48.29 in the 100 free, both in November 2013. While the times are astounding for Masters swimming, they are not Cielo’s fastest of 2014. He won the 50 free at the Jose Finkel meet in Brazil in September with a 20.68 and posted a 46.08 in the 100 free at the same meet.
Cielo had a cheering section at the meet, as several Brazilian students at Arizona State University attended both days to root for their swimming hero.
Commings, swimming in his first short course meters competition in the 40-44 age group, broke Steve West’s year-old 50 breaststroke world record of 28.53 by the slimmest of margins with a 28.52. The 40-year-old host of SwimmingWorld.TV’s “The Morning Swim Show” followed that up with a 57.19 in the 100 individual medley, taking down Italian Alberto Montini’s mark of 57.39 from 2010. Commings also owns the short course world record in the 50 breast for the 35-39 age group with a 27.79 from 2009.
The fifth world record of the meet came from Brent Creager, who swam an astounding 2:02.98 in the 200 butterfly to break Eroli Massimiliano’s world mark of 2:03.05. This is the first Masters world record for the 35-year-old, who swam for Penn State collegiately.
Townsend nearly set three world records at the meet. After falling short of German Stefan Herbst’s 200 free world record of 1:46.52 with a 1:46.61 and Herbst’s 100 fly record of 52.63 with a 52.81, Townsend returned to lead off Ford Aquatics’ 400 freestyle relay. His time of 48.72 almost took down the 100 free world record of 48.08 that he swam a month earlier. Townsend is also preparing to swim in the short course world championships, representing the United States for the first time internationally after years of swimming for South Africa.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Townsend had set a world record in the 100 freestyle.
“His time of 48.72 took down the 100 free world record of 48.09 held by another German, Stephan Kunzelmann, since 2008.” Strange that a slower time “took down” a previous record. A correction is needed.
Darian Townsend set a world record before – on September 27th, 2014 at Jamina Winston Invite with a time of 48.08.
Yeah, Brent! Great swim. Brent Creager also swam the 100fly at the 2012 Olympic Trials for Arizona Gold Swim Club.