Bella Sims Pops Pair of World Junior Records In 12-Minute Span; Sets Marks in 200 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke
During the afternoon, Sandpipers of Nevada celebrated a world junior record from Katie Grimes in the short-course version of the 1500-meter freestyle. At night, the club had the chance to party again, this time for a pair of world junior records from Bella Sims in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
As the second night of the FINA World Cup stop in Indianapolis unfolded, Sims first delivered a time of 1:52.59 in the 200 freestyle. That performance was good for fourth place in a race won by Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, and took down the previous WJR of Kayla Sanchez, a 1:52.85 from the 2018 campaign.
Going into the race, Canadian Summer McIntosh was viewed as the leading contender for a world junior record in the event. And, McIntosh’s time of 1:52.63 was under the previous mark, but bettered by what Sims managed. A University of Florida recruit, Sims split 26.06 at the 50-meter mark and was at 54.51 midway through the race. She hit the 150-meter checkpoint at 1:23.78.
Twelve minutes after she hopped out of the pool for the 200 free, Sims returned to the water for the 100 backstroke and went 55.75, an effort that wiped out the 55.99 world junior record of Denmark’s Mie Nielsen. Sims’ time in the 100 backstroke handed her a triumph over fellow American Beata Nelson (55.90).
A Tokyo Olympian, Sims has clearly elevated her status since the Games and figures, along with Grimes, to play a major role for the United States in international competition for the foreseeable future.