Dustin Tynes Breaks Bahamian National Record in 200 Breast

The Bahamas’ Dustin Tynes, who just finished up his freshman year at the Ohio State University, broke the Bahamian record in the 200 meter breaststroke during this morning’s Pan Am Games prelims session with a time of 2:18.13. This destroys the old record of 2:20.31, set all the way back in 2000.

A look at Tynes’ splits:

30.54/34.66/35.67/37.26 = 2:18.13

Tynes took the race out hard, and it cost him in the end, as his splitting fell off by over 1.5 seconds from the third 50 to the final 50. Nonetheless, this splitting gives him something to work on, as he’ll be tackling the event again tonight in the B Final.

Tynes, who also holds national records in the 50 and 100 breast, is now the fastest breaststroker of any distance from the Bahamas. He’s also the first Bahamian swimmer to crack 2:20 in the 200 breast, and he did so by a long shot.

You can see Tynes back in action tonight in the B final of this race, as well as in the 100 breast. His national record in the 100 is a 1:02.97, and it’s quite possible that he’ll be lowering that record, too.

The Bahamas have a small contingent here at the Pan Am Games, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in firepower. Tynes’ national record watch is just one storyline for the island nation thus far in this meet, as his country mate Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace picked up a bronze medal last night in the 100 free. At the last Pan Am Games, back in 2011, the Bahamas failed to qualify a single swimmer to an A final, but Vanderpool-Wallace already has and now owns a medal to boot.