Rachel Sansano - (Author)

By Taylor Covington The act of comparison is a natural human tendency, with jealousy being one of the most intense, instinctive emotions that make up the human experience. Sports in particular tend to force us into our most primitive states, where the nuances of the complicated outside world exist o...

Taylor Covington is a senior swimmer at Boston College. She is a former Swimming World Intern and current Swimming World contributor. She was swimming at the CSCAA meet when the COVID-19 cancelled NCAA events.  This is the silence I have been dreading. Six nights ago, I perched myself on the stiff e...

Day 6 of the 2019 World Masters Swimming Championships ended the world record drought incurred on Night 5, but the athletes were far from done. On the final night of competition, two more masters age group world records fell, wrapping up the past seven nights in Gwangju on a high. Less than 24 hours...

Three more master's world records fell on the penultimate day of the 2019 World Masters Swimming Championships, following a bit of a drought on Day 5. Hungary's Katharina Flora in the 85-89 age group was the first to make history, shattering Jane Asher's previous 100 backstroke record of 1:52.70 by ...

Day Five of the 2019 World Masters Swimming Championships featured six relays: the men's and women's 200 free and 200 medley relays, as well as mixed relays for both events. Thailand's Natthanan Junkrajang made three separate appearances as a result, each time posting the fastest female split in the...

Last night, four age group world records and three national age group records fell at the 2019 World Master Swimming Championships, as the sport's seasoned veterans convened in Gwangju to continue showcasing their talents. Giving masters an opportunity to compete on the international stage, the Worl...

The 2019 World Masters Swimming Championships entered its third day of competition in South Korea, where some of the sport's most dedicated athletes have continued to showcase their talents on the international stage. Night Three saw a slew of historic swims, as four age group world records fell alo...

After a light schedule last night, the 2019 World Masters Championships kicked off its second day of competition in Gwangju with a diverse slate of events. Things are beginning to heat up in South Korea, as some of the most devoted members of the sport convene for an international show of talent, on...

The 2019 World Masters Championships kicked off its first night in Gwangju with a light schedule of events, featuring just the men's and women's 800 freestyle. The races were dense with talent, however, making for a climactic opener that set the swim community abuzz, teasing the rest of the week, as...

In one of the most exciting races of the meet, the two Pan Am powerhouses squared off in a battle for the last word through the men's 400 medley relay. Daniel Carr, Nicolas Fink, Thomas Shields, and Nathan Adrian of the United States (3:30.25) combined forces to ultimately take down Brazil's deadly ...

Just a few short weeks ago, the U.S. women's relay team of Reagan Smith, Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia, and Simone Manuel reset the world record in the 400 medley relay, stunning the swim community and attracting attention from across the globe. With the fresh combination of Phoebe Bacon, Annie Lazor, Ke...

The U.S. and Brazil have seemingly traded wins event to event in this 2019 Pan American Games, and tonight was no exception. With two American victories preceding him, Nicholas Sweetser immediately felt pressure to make it three in the men's 1500 free. With Brazil's Guilherme Pereira da Costa in the...

Will Licon (1:59.13) cinched the United States' second consecutive gold in the final night of the 2019 Pan American Games, seizing a decisive victory in the men's 200 IM. Fending off Brazil's Caio Pumputis (2:00.12), Licon was the only man in the field under 2:00. As the sole American in the meet's ...

In contrast to the fate predicted by the heat sheets, Alex Walsh of the United States landed on the top step of the podium after the women's 200 IM at the 2019 Pan American Games. It was not without a brutal battle with top seed (and teammate) Meghan Small (2:11.36), who entered tonight's final with...

In true form, Argentina's distance stalwart Delfina Pignatiello stole away with the win in the women's 1500 free at the 2019 Pan American Games, clocking in at 16:16.54 to better Kristel Kobrich Shimpl's (16:18.19) mark by over a second and a half. Pignatiello holds the tenth fastest time in the wor...

After a thrilling four days of competition, the 2019 Pan American Games kicked off its final night with an interesting slate of events. Despite the session's light schedule featuring only four individual events and two relays, each race was dense with talent, making for a climactic grand finale in L...

In the penultimate day of the 2019 Pan American Gams, Brazil pulled a win from lane five in the men's 800 free relay with its deadly combo of Luiz Melo, Fernando Muhlenberg, Joao De Lucca, and Breno Correia. All splitting under 1:49.00, the men put forth a cohesive effort that was good enough to bet...

The United States redeemed itself in the women's 800 free relay of the 2019 Pan American Games after a disappointing relay disqualification yesterday evening. Claire Rasmus, Alexandra Walsh, Sarah Gibson, and Meaghan Raab proved to be an unstoppable quartet. Surging ahead of the rest of the field wi...

Charlie Swanson earned the U.S. its first gold medal of the night in the men's 400 IM, cruising to a 4:11.46 for a decisive victory. Attaining a commanding lead early on, Swanson made the race all his own, barely eclipsing the meet record of 4:11.14 set by Thiago Pereira. The race was certainly no d...

The women's 400 IM proved to be another historic event, as Canada's Tess Cieplucha posted a 4:39.90 to earn Canada's first gold medal in the event since 1999 despite her second-place seed headed into tonight's final. Virginia Bardach of Argentina created some outside smoke from lane 6, as she split ...