SYDNEY, Australia, March 27. IT may have taken a year since she first set the unratified world record in the 100 free with a 52.99 leadoff of the mixed 400 free relay at the Duel in the Pool last year, but Libby Trickett finally owns the global standard outright. Meanwhile, Eamon Sullivan went off in the 50 free for the second world record of the day at the Australian Trials.
Last year, Trickett, then swimming as Libby Lenton, clocked a remarkable time of 52.99 in the mixed 400 free relay at the Duel in the Pool. FINA, however, would not ratify the results due to the fact that FINA does not recognize the mixed 400 free relay as an official event.
Today, Trickett wiped out the yearlong controversy when she smashed the 53.30 world record previously owned by Germany's Britta Steffen when Trickett scorched the pool to the tune of 52.88. She went out in 25.40 before coming back in 27.48.
The performance also returns the global standard to Trickett, which she previously held with a 53.42 on Jan. 31, 2006. It is the third time Trickett has set the world record, as she also set it with a 53.66 in 2004.
"I really thought that I did have it in me with all the talk there was about me dragging off Michael Phelps – it was 0.11 faster without him in the pool," Trickett told Swimming Australia. "It's just a nice feeling but honestly I tried not to think about it coming into this race because I think that would have been detrimental. I was really nervous probably more nervous than I normally would be having been in this position a few times before. I wanted to go sub 53. I thought the potential that I might actually break the world record without doing a personal best time…I thought that would be kind of weird. I really wanted to go an official world record and official personal best time and to do that and go faster than I did last year it's just awesome. It's a pretty special moment."
Cate Campbell placed second in 53.81, while Melanie Schlanger (54.20) and Alice Mills (54.28) rounded out the top four.
World Record Progression
Courtesy of USA Swimming
1:35.0 Martha Gerstung GER Magdeburg 10/18/1908
1:26.6 C. Guttenstein BELG Schaerbeck 10/2/1910
1:24.6 Daisy Curwen ENG Liverpool 9/29/1911
1:20.6 Daisy Curewn ENG Birkenhead 6/10/1912
1:19.8 Fanny Durack AUS Stockholm 7/9/1912
1:18.8 Fanny Durack AUS Hamburg 7/21/1912
1:16.2 Fanny Durack AUS Sydney 2/6/1915
1:13.6 Ethelda Bleibtrey USA Antwerp 8/25/1920
1:12.8 Gertrude Ederle USA Newark 6/30/1923
1:12.2 Mariechen Wehselau USA Paris 7/19/1924
1:10.0 Ethel Lackie USA Toledo 1/28/1926
1:09.8 Eleanora Carratti USA Honolulu 8/7/1929
1:09.4 Albina Osipowich USA San Francisco 8/25/1929
1:08.0 Helene Madison USA Miami Beach 3/14/1930
1:06.6 Helene Madison USA Boston 4/20/1931
1:06.0 Willy den Ouden NETH Antwerp 7/9/1933
1:05.4 Willy den Ouden NETH Amsterdam 2/24/1934
1:04.8 Willy den Ouden NETH Rotterdam 4/15/1934
1:04.6 Willy den Ouden NETH Amsterdam 2/27/1936
1:04.5 Dawn Fraser AUS Sydney 2/21/1956
1:04.2 Cockie Gastelaars NETH Amsterdam 3/3/1956
1:04.0 Cockie Gastelaars NETH Schiedam 4/14/1956
1:03.3 Dawn Fraser AUS Townsville 8/25/1956
1:03.2 Lorraine Crapp AUS Sydney 10/25/1956
1:02.4 Lorraine Crapp AUS Melbourne 12/1/1956
1:02.0 Dawn Fraser AUS Melbourne 12/1/1956
1:01.5y^ Dawn Fraser AUS Melbourne 2/18/1958
1:01.4y Dawn Fraser AUS Cardiff 7/21/1958
1:01.2 Dawn Fraser AUS Schiedam 8/10/1958
1:00.2y Dawn Fraser AUS Sydney 2/23/1960
1:00.0y Dawn Fraser AUS Melbourne 10/23/1962
59.9y Dawn Fraser AUS Melbourne 10/27/1962
59.5y Dawn Fraser AUS Perth 11/24/1962
58.9 Dawn Fraser AUS Sydney 2/29/1964
58.9e Shane Gould AUS London 4/30/1971
58.5 Shane Gould AUS Sydney 1/8/1972
58.25 Kornelia Ender GDR Berlin 7/13/1973
58.12 Kornelia Ender GDR Utrecht 8/18/1973
57.61 Kornelia Ender GDR Belgrade 9/8/1973
57.54 Kornelia Ender GDR Belgrade 9/9/1973
57.51 Kornelia Ender GDR Rostock 7/4/1974
56.96 Kornelia Ender GDR Vienna 8/19/1974
56.38 Kornelia Ender GDR Dresden 3/14/1975
56.22 Kornelia Ender GDR Cali 7/26/1975
55.73 Kornelia Ender GDR Berlin 6/6/1976
55.65 Kornelia Ender GDR Montreal 7/19/1976
55.41 Barbara Krause GDR Berlin 7/5/1978
54.98 Barbara Krause GDR Moscow 7/20/1980
54.79 Barbara Krause GDR Moscow 7/21/1980
54.73 Kristin Otto GDR Madrid 8/19/1986
54.48p Jenny Thompson USA Indianapolis 3/1/1992
54.01 Jingyi Le CHN Rome 9/5/1994
53.80 Inge de Bruijn NED Sheffield 5/29/2000
53.77sf Inge de Bruijn NED Sydney 9/20/2000
53.66sf Libby Lenton AUS Sydney 3/31/2004
53.52sf Jodie Henry AUS Athens 8/18/2004
53.42sf Libby Lenton AUS Melbourne 1/31/2006
53.30 Britta Steffen GER Budapest 8/2/2006
52.88 Libby Trickett AUS Sydney 3/27/2008
Eamon Sullivan also joined the world record assault, as six have fallen throughout the Australian Trials, when he regained the title as the fastest man on the planet with a ridiculously fast 21.41 during the men's 50 free semifinal round. This knocked .09 seconds from Alain Bernard's short-lived world record of 21.50 set during semis of the European Championships on March 23.
Sullivan previously broke the eight-year old standard of Alexander Popov (21.64) on Feb. 17, 2008 when Sullivan dropped a swift time of 21.56.
"I had a good sleep last night and a good sleep today – I wanted that very really badly and I'm very, very pleased with myself," Sullivan told Swimming Australia. "I like the pool, it's been very good to me and I'm really proud of the fact that I didn't really let it get to me when Alain (Bernard) broke my record and I knew I had another chance. I didn't let it affect how I was swimming and then it motivated me a bit more to swim a bit faster. It was probably a good thing being chased in the 50 and then chasing someone in the 100 – you get the best of both worlds I guess being in front and being a bit behind. I really wanted to have a crack tonight, to take a bit of pressure off because I knew if I could get it tonight a lot more pressure would be off tomorrow and I could focus more on the technical side of things instead of just brute force. I'm glad that's out of the way so tomorrow I can be more relaxed and just enjoy it."
Ashley Callus (22.12), Matt Targett (22.42) and Jonathon Newton (22.48) comprised the rest of the top four spots.
World Record Progression
Courtesy of USA Swimming
23.70 Klaus Steinback FRG Freiburg 7/23/1979
23.66 Chris Cavanaugh USA Amersfoort 2/2/1980
22.83p Bruce Stahl USA Austin 4/10/1980
22.83p Joe Bottom USA Honolulu 8/15/1980
22.71 Joe Bottom USA Honolulu 8/15/1980
22.54p Robin Leamy USA Brown Deer 8/15/1981
22.52 Dano Halsall SUI Bellinzona 7/21/1985
22.40 Tom Jager USA Austin 12/6/1985
22.33 Matt Biondi USA Orlando 6/26/1986
22.33 Matt Biondi USA Clovis 7/30/1987
22.32* Tom Jager USA Brisbane 8/13/1987
22.23 Tom Jager USA Orlando 3/25/1988
22.14 Matt Biondi USA Seoul 9/24/1988
22.12 Tom Jager USA Tokyo 8/20/1989
21.98p Tom Jager USA Nashville 3/24/1990
21.81 Tom Jager USA Nashville 3/24/1990
21.64 Alexander Popov RUS Moscow 6/1/2000
21.56 Eamon Sullivan AUS Sopac 2/17/2008
21.50sf Alain Bernard FRA Eindhoven 3/23/2008
21.41sf Eamon Sullivan AUS Sydney 3/27/2008
Women's 200 breast finals
Lethal Leisel Jones smoked the field in the longer distance breaststroke event as the world-record holder wowed the crowd with a 2:21.34. That is the second-fastest time in the event ever behind only her world record time of 2:20.54. Sally Foster finished second in a time of 2:25.70 to earn a 2008 Beijing Games bid.
Men's 200 back finals
Hayden Stoeckel blasted the Commonwealth record of 1:57.59 previously owned by Matt Welsh when Stoeckel rocketed to a winning time of 1:56.75. Ashley Delaney placed second with another swift time of 1:57.53.
Women's 200 back finals
Meagen Nay crushed the Australia record in the 200 back semifinal round with a sterling time of 2:10.01, under Nicole Livingstone's 16-year-old national record of 2:10.20. Other swimmers in the top four include Emily Seebohm (2:10.51), Belinda Hocking (2:10.61) and Tay Zimmer (2:12.56).
Men's 200 IM finals
Leith Brodie surpassed the 2:00 mark with a winning time of 1:59.90 to join Ian Thorpe as the only Australians under two minutes. Adam Lucas finished second in 2:01.84.
Men's 100 fly semis
Andrew Lauterstein qualified first to finals in the 100 fly with a 52.10, while Adam Pine placed second in 52.14.
Men's 50 breast semis
Brenton Rickard and Christian Sprenger tied for the top seed with times of 28.01, while James Beasley (29.10) and Luke Trickett (29.15) will bracket the duo in finals.
Women's 50 fly semis
Danni Miatke dipped under 27 for the top seed in 26.78, while Felicity Galvez (27.05), Marieke Guehrer (27.22) and Jessicah Schipper (27.25) are among the top seeds heading into finals.
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