16-Year-Old Matheny Crushes 2:09.40 200 Breast For World Juniors Gold

7TH FINA WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

  • 50-Meter Course
  • Duna Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
  • Pool swimming: Tuesday, August 20 – Sunday, August 25, 2019
  • Heats 9:30am GMT+2 (3:30 am EDT / 12:30 am PDT)/ Semifinals and Finals 5:30pm GMT+2 (11:30am EDT / 8:30am PDT)
  • Meet site
  • Entries book
  • FinaTV Live Stream (subscription required)
  • Live results

If you’ve watched any of the 2019 World Junior Championships, you know that 16-year-old American Josh Matheny has been tearing it up on the breaststroking scene.

The Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics athlete already took silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke here in Budapest, producing a shiny new National Age Group Record of 1:00.17. He also put up a wicked-fast split of 59.31 on the USA’s World Junior Record-setting mixed medley relay earlier this week.

Flash forward to tonight, however, and Matheny ripped perhaps the most impressive outing of his World Junior Championships campaign, clocking a monster personal best time of 2:09.40 to take the title in a new Championships Record time.

Matheny was chasing Japan’s top-seeded Shoma Sato for the majority of the race. When Sato started tightening up the last 25 meters, the American pounced, getting the most out of every last stroke to hit the wall just .16 ahead of Sato.

Matheny’s time of 2:09.40 marks the first time the teen has ever been not only under 2:10, but under 2:11, as he held the American men’s National Age Group Record for 15-16-year-olds previously in 2:11.02. He utterly ripped that to shreds with his performance tonight, overtaking the old meet record of 2:10.19 set by Russia’s Anton Chupkov back in 2015.

The American’s time is also now just .01 away from overtaking the World Junior Record of 2:09.40 held by China’s Qin Haiyang since 2017. With his sub-2:10 swim tonight, Matheny now becomes the 12th fastest performer in American history in this 2breast event.

Splits for Matheny’s former record:

  • 29.69
  • 33.16 (1:02.85)
  • 33.97 (1:36.82)
  • 34.20 (2:11.02)

Splits for Matheny’s new record:

  • 29.47
  • 33.00 (1:02.47)
  • 33.23 (1:35.70)
  • 33.70 (2:09.40)

Of additional note, Matheny’s time now knocks Daniel Roy out of the top 6 for Team USA National Team tracking:

200 BREAST
Will Licon 2:07.62
Andrew Wilson 2:07.77
Nic Fink 2:08.16
Josh Prenot 2:08.77
Cody Miller 2:08.98
Daniel Roy 2:09.50

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Aquaman
5 years ago

Just friggin’ awesome

Miller loves Dolphin kicks
5 years ago

He’ll be a beast when he’s older

Pvdh
Reply to  Miller loves Dolphin kicks
5 years ago

He’s a beast now

Who
5 years ago

Race video anyone? This and/or the 59.3 split

Wanna Sprite?
Reply to  Who
5 years ago

Carson foster’s dad should be uploading the video soon

Pvdh
Reply to  Wanna Sprite?
5 years ago

Mr Foster coming in clutch with these race vids

Foreign Embassy
5 years ago

Wow! Remember in the early 90s when Mike Barrowman had the world record at 2:12?! This event has come a LONG way! Congrats!

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Foreign Embassy
5 years ago

1992 , Barcelona ! yes , Barrowman was the best with that WR that year . One of my all time Favourite swimmer of that era

Boknows34
Reply to  ERVINFORTHEWIN
5 years ago

And his 2.10.16 WR stood for over a decade.

Lpman
5 years ago

This guy has officially entered the discussion for Tokyo. If Tokyo was even one year later to let him improve more, I think he could easily become a favorite. Still, a year could give him ample time to be a 59 low and a 208 low and put him in the running.

On a side note, love to see the Pennsylvania breastrokers continue their legacy (Linn, Kowal, Salyards, Hansen, etc)

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  Lpman
5 years ago

But the 200 is a Peatyish 2.06.

yinz
5 years ago

For those who did not watch relays 59.31s:
Matheny had painfully slow turn, where he glided into the wall. With better turn, it could have been in 59.0 realm.
Josh’s pullouts are his weakest point, and with good work he can easily shave at least 0.4-0.5s just on those.

As for today’s 200br: Matheny is usually the fastest swimmer in the pool on the last 25m. (Just ask Jake Foster :-). Japanese boy had very little chance coming in the last 50m with only 0.26s ahead.

Ger
Reply to  yinz
5 years ago

That actually made it such a great race to watch. He kept losing ground on the turns to Sato and had to keep chasing him down. A huge prospect for the future.

SwimGeek
5 years ago

Seems like the future of American breaststroke is arriving early — this kid is obliterating the 15-16 NAG records

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  SwimGeek
5 years ago

one of many Juniors peircing through this year ,….so happy to see that

Heyitsme
Reply to  ERVINFORTHEWIN
5 years ago

Miller may not make it at all

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Heyitsme
5 years ago

yep , indeed – hard call for 2 or 3 guys there

NW Coach
Reply to  SwimGeek
5 years ago

Don’t sleep on Devon Nowicki. He is 22, about to turn pro and has only ever swam for MLA and Oakland University.

Oop
5 years ago

24.20 last 50 in his old record. Insane!!

Lpman
Reply to  Oop
5 years ago

I guess he needs to take it out a little quicker if he can come home in a 24.

Meeeeeee
Reply to  Oop
5 years ago

yeah. looks like he died today or would have had WR 😉

DADBJW
Reply to  Oop
5 years ago

Do the math. 24 was a misprint.

monsterbasher
Reply to  DADBJW
5 years ago

Really?? No way. I mean chalmers backhalf of a 100 is a 24, so I figured a breaststroker could do that too.

Lpman
Reply to  DADBJW
5 years ago

You are the only human who does not understand the joke here. Congrats.

Lane 8
Reply to  Oop
5 years ago

You mean 34.20? (by the way checked the splits)

Luis Vargas
Reply to  Oop
5 years ago

24? That would be a world record in the 50 since its a 26 right now? Crappy timing system. Oh wait for it….Fake News!

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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