Photo by Nicolas Granger
MONTREAL, Canada, August 6. AFTER a slow start to the record-breaking tally, seven world records fell Tuesday at the FINA Masters World Championships. Nicolas Granger was responsible for two of them, setting records in the 400 IM and 200 free.
Nicolas Granger, one of Swimming World Magazine’s World Masters Swimmers of the Year this year, broke his own mark in the 400 individual medley with a 4:43.83. That lowered the record in the 45-49 age group by nine tenths of a second from what the Frenchman swam in 2012.
Granger’s splits:
50m: 29.16 29.16
100m: 1:03.09 33.93
150m: 1:39.54 36.45
200m: 2:16.16 36.62
250m: 2:56.58 40.42
300m: 3:37.74 41.16
350m: 4:11.17 33.43
400m: 4:43.83 32.66
In the next event, Granger dominated the age group in the 200 free with a 1:57.75, just barely taking down Keith Switzer’s world record of 1:57.89 from 2009.
Splits:
50m: 27.58
100m: 29.97
150m: 30.11
200m: 30.09
Alex Shestakov, representing Oakwood Athletic Masters in the United States, posted a world record in the 400 IM as well. His 5:50.98 beat George Wendt’s 5:52.50 from 2012 in the 65-69 age group. Shestakov took a five-year hiatus from competition, and his last long course 400 IM time was a 5:37.03 from 2008.
Shestakov’s splits:
50m: 36.38 36.38
100m: 1:18.84 42.46
150m: 2:03.70 44.86
200m: 2:49.95 46.25
250m: 3:38.71 48.76
300m: 4:28.75 50.04
350m: 5:10.70 41.95
400m: 5:50.98 40.28
To cap off competition in the men’s events, Jim Dragon of Garden State Masters posted a 31.37 in the 50 butterfly. That time erased Richard Burns’ 31.42 from the record books almost one year to the day after it was set. Burns was also in the race, and settled for second with a 31.59.
The 400 individual medley was the top event of the day, as another world record fell in the race on the women’s side of the competition. Ellen Reynolds of Sawtooth Masters demolished Jill Hernandez’s world record of 5:30.32 in the 50-54 age group with a 5:20.68.
Reynolds’ splits:
50m: 35.93 35.93
100m: 1:16.61 40.68
150m: 1:57.23 40.62
200m: 2:35.47 38.24
250m: 3:23.24 47.77
300m: 4:10.21 46.97
350m: 4:46.21 36.00
400m: 5:20.68 34.47
Noriko Inada of Phoenix Swim Club took down her own world record in the 50 butterfly with a 27.46. That was enough for the three-time Japanese Olympian to beat her mark in the 35-39 age group by .34 seconds.
Inada’s world record swim footage, courtesy Takahisa Ide:
Wenke Seider just missed the world record in the women’s 50 fly by seven hundredths of a second in the 45-49 age group, posting a 29.04. Judy Wilson of Great Britain, however, was able to beat Christel Schulz’s world record of 37.93 in the 70-74 age group with a 36.36.
That’s a monster double for Granger, one of the toughest to tackle….Phelpsian, even. After posting the #2 overall time behind 31 year old Olympic IMer, Keith Beavers, in the 400 IM, he swam the fastest overall 200 Free of the meet, erasing a tech suit WR. Dominating at 47. Bravo Nicolas!!
It looks like he had a little less than two hours between events, which is definitely NOT enough time to fully recover from a 400 IM!
That :36.36 50m Fly by 70 year old Judy Wilson is flat out amazing.
In 65-69, Alek Shestakov went under WR time in the 200IM (2:43.37) this morning with a 2:41.20, but was bested by Hubie Kerns who went 2:39.23 to set the new WR. Congrats to both.