Video Courtesy: Rick Hancock
When @AbbeyWeitzeil goes 21.12 in the 50 breaking the AR @swimswamnews pic.twitter.com/7eQJe8USaM
— Rick Hancock (@RickHancock15) March 6, 2016
As reported by Robert Gibbs:
After missing the American Record by .01 earlier in the evening, 19 year-old Abbey Weitzeil of the Canyons Aquatic Club got it on her second try.
Weitzeil didn’t clip it by just a little bit either, she lowered the record by 0.15, from 21.27 to 21.12. The previous record was set by Lara Jackson during the height of the supersuit era, making Weitzeil’s swim tonight even more remarkable.
That’s also the U.S. Open record, meaning that Weitzeil is now the fastest woman ever in the 50 yard freestyle. Weitzeil was swimming while representing her club team, so Jackson’s 21.27 still stands as the NCAA record. Weitzeil graduated high school last year, and has committed to Cal, but elected to defer her enrollment and NCAA competition until after this summer’s Olympic Trials and Olympic Games.
Current top 10 of All-Time:
- Abbey Weitzeil, 2016 – 21.12
- Lara Jackson, 2009 – 21.27
- Abbey Weitzeil, 2016 – 21.28
- Simone Manuel, 2015 – 21.32
- Farida Osman, 2016 – 21.32
- Lara Jackson, 2008 – 21.33
- Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, 2011 – 21.34
- Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, 2012 – 21.35
- Lara Jackson, 2009 – 21.36
- Lara Jackson, 2008 – 21.37
Weitzeil is swimming tonight at the American Short Course Championships, which is not a formally-recognized championship meet, attracts plenty of top-level talent while also serving as a last chance meet for NCAA men.
Coming into today, Weitzeil’s best time in this event was a 21.49 she swam at the 2014 Speedo Junior Winter Championships, meaning that she knocked .37 off of her best time in the 50 free in one day. Weitzeil is used to breaking records, having set a number of high school and age group records in the sprint freestyle. She also held the American Record in the 100 yard freestyle at one point, before Simone Manuel took it last year at the NCAA championships.
Here’s her 46.52 out in 21.88
100 freestyle race in Finals
http://youtu.be/-7Hgfq6PYOI
It was an exciting night at the Texas Swim Center. The crowd audibly gasped when her 10.12 split came up! The night also saw Jessica Hardy almost get DQ’d for a false start. Officials dismissed her from the blocks and the crowd and everyone in the TSC vigorously objected. Common sense did prevail and Jessica was called back to the blocks to swim. This is the second significant record we’ve seen at the TSC which follows Ledecky’s 800 at Arena Pro Series.
Common sense? Common Sense implies the officials made a mistake. She false started so badly she fell in the pool. She anticipated the start, flinched, lost her balance, and fell into the pool. She swam because multiple coaches came running claiming to hear a noise that the working refs on deck and none of the other swimmers when polled heard so let’s not go to common sense. Had the officials heard a noise, there would have been no false start. Was there some Common courtesy so the fans could see someone they came to see? Yes. Afterwards she apologized and said that was the first time she had ever done that and was embarrassed but thanked everyone for letting her… Read more »
that is fantastic! all of these women are amazing. so fast! wishing them continued success!
I swam for a good NCAA div III team (now in Patriot League) back in the early 80’s, and Abbey swam faster than our best male sprinter did back then, and I don’t recall him losing at any point his senior year! WOW!!!
It’s starting to look like it might be even more of a challenge for Natalie C to make another Olympic team in the sprint freestyles. Her best shot might be in the 100 Back. Believe me, I wouldn’t count her out, but these young’uns are looking tough!!!
Not to mention 3 girls on your senior team under 23, pretty impressive.
And she even took a breath.
I’m thinking she’s going to break 46 in the hundred tomorrow (and I don’t want to here nothing about she’s not even rested . . . )–go Abbey!!!