CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, November 11. THE North Carolina short course meters Masters state championships got a jolt of energy on Saturday when four fast females broke the world record record in the 200 freestyle relay.
Sue Walsh, Jennifer Stringer, Alicia Uhl and Erika Braun combined for a 1:48.08 to set the new standard in the 160-199 age group. Age groups in Masters relays are determined by adding the ages of all four swimmers. Unlike age groups for individual events that have a span of five years, Masters relay age groups span 40 years. (The combined age for this relay was 165 years.)
The only competitor was the clock for this foursome. Walsh, a 1980 Olympian in the 100 backstroke and no stranger to Masters world records, kicked things off with a 28.02. The 51-year-old wasn’t too far off the world record of 27.81 set by Canadian Sarah MacDonald in 2011.
Stringer, 37, was next with a blazing 26.79, followed by 36-year-old Uhl, who split a 27.27. Braun, a competitor at last year’s Olympic Trials in the 50 free at age 40, provided a swift 26.00 anchor leg to break Red Tide of New York’s 1:49.41 from 2009.
Video courtesy Eric Braun:
The four train in separate locations across North Carolina, but came together for Saturday’s relay as North Carolina Masters. Braun and Stringer train in Raleigh, Uhl swims in Wilmington and Walsh works out in Chapel Hill.
“We had a blast getting these fast women together who are awesome sprinters, but more importantly had so much fun sharing the experience with our Masters swimmers who were at the meet cheering us on,” Braun said.
Braun also made a run at Susan von der Lippe’s 100 freestyle world record of 57.55 in the 100 free timed final, but fell short with a 58.57. Last March, Braun posted a 57.58 to get oh-so-close to breaking it.
Click the link below for full results from the meet.