Rick Colella cracked six short course U.S. Masters national records at the Pacific Northwest Association and Zones Championships in Federal Way, Washington on April 15 and 16. 71-year-old Colella made his Olympic debut at the 1972 Munich Games and then won bronze in the 200 breast at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
The Lake Washington swimmer started off his eventful weekend at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center (KCAC) by breaking his own 50 yard breast age 70-74 national record from November (29.84) with a time of 29.67. Colella also took down Lawrence Day’s national 200 back record from last year (2:19.00) with a 2:12.65 and Richard Abraham’s national 50 fly record from 2015 (26.92) with a 26.30. Abrahams is the 1966 Big Ten Champion in the 50 and 100 free; he represented Northwestern.
On Sunday, Colella continued his national record onslaught by blasting a time of 53.90 in the 100 free and putting the national 70-74 record under 54.00 for the first time. The previous mark was set by Abrahams in 2015 (54.58). Lastly, Colella crushed both of current Masters world record holder Dan Kirkland’s national distance freestyle records from 2019. In the 1650, Colella hit the wall first at 18:30.92, beating the previous mark (19:46.98) by more than a minute and in the 1000, he finished first with a time of 11:05.03, beating the previous record of 11:46.94.
Two-time Olympian Colella now holds 15 national records in the 70-74 age group, adding five to his previous total of 10, pending ratification. These swims also would have broken the 1000 free and 1650 free national records for the 65-69 age group.
The mixed 25+ mixed 200 medley relay was a Colella family reunion of Rick, his older sister Lynn Colella who won silver in the 200 fly at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and his nephew Casey Colella who swam for UC Santa Cruz from 2013-2017. Rick and Lynn swam on Lake Washington’s ‘B’ relay, with Rick on the second leg and racing Casey a few lanes over who swam the second leg for Cascade Masters. Despite a 43-year age difference, Rick and Casey split 29.94 and 29.03 respectively. Rick handed off the relay to Lynn on the third leg and they ultimately placed fourth (2:10.64) behind third-place-finishers Cascade (1:53.18).
100-year-old Masters world record holder Willard Lamb also had an eventful weekend at KCAC, breaking the U.S. Masters national 50 back record in the 100-104 age group with a time of 1:00.22 and taking nearly two minutes off the previous mark set by Fred Klein in 2016 (2:55.93). Lamb also broke national records in the 50 free with a time of 52.18 (beating Tom Lane’s mark of 1:31.03 from 1994), the 100 free with a 2:18.66 (Lane held the previous record at 3:21.86 in 1994), and the 200 free with a time of 4:32.38 (Lane set that one too at 6:56.32 in 1994). Lamb won every event he swam that weekend. There aren’t US Masters records listed in the four other events Lamb competed in, so pending ratification, he now owns those as well.
Lamb’s Other Events:
- 200 back – 4:41.83
- 1650 free – 41:11.26
- 500 free – 12:14.05
- 1000 free – 24:52.31
Lamb set his first Masters World record in the 100-104 age group last August at the age of 99. Since he aged up that year he competed in the next age group and set the 1500 free world record with a time of 42:27.06. At the time, FINA had no ratified record for the race in his age group, meaning this was the first recorded swim by a man his age.
Sure, Colella’s 70-74 records are impressive but it’s Lamb’s 100-104s that really standout. In fact, I predict it will take Colella another 25+ years to break them.
The swims by Lamb are unbelievable, I can’t imagine completing a swim event other than the 50 or 100 at age 100.
And those 70 year old national records could beat a large chunk of high school swimmers. Wow!
My anxiety as a lifeguard watching a 100 year-old man swim for over 40 minutes non-stop📈📈📈
don’t worry, he would save you
Favorite post of the month
Annika- what are the chances you can get an interview with Willard??!! 100 years old- simply amazing!
Coleman did one last August – though he was only 99 at the time. https://swimswam.com/99-year-old-willard-wink-lamb-on-setting-1500-free-masters-world-record/
thank you for reposting this!
Pete Colella, aka Coach Pete who competes incognito as Rodney, youngest brother of Rick and Lynn, father to Casey, was in the meet as well, winning the 50 and 200 breast for the 55-59 age group and joining the breast sub :30 Colella split party with a :29.53 on Cascade B mixed medley.
Seems like a big omission
HUGE. Can’t believe we missed that. What a failure.
Yeah! You can’t forget Coach Pete! He was an All-American and had some great swims at the meet!
😂
…I was in Richmond. Willard went off the blocks. Legit Superhero.
I do lots of swimming during my pool’s lap swim times. I can say with certainty that there are plenty of people well under half Willard’s age who absolutely could not complete a 200 free in 4:30. I believe Willard is doing wall starts now, but he still keeps up a steady pace and doesn’t hesitate at the turns at all. Simply amazing.
Yup, high tempo too
About a decade ago there was a woman swimming for one of the teams in Richmond–I was visiting family in Richmond and swam at a meet there that weekend, and passed her on the deck thinking she looked like a spry 70-something lady. She was just walking around making small talk with pretty much everyone whether she knew them or not, me included.
She got up on the block with just a bit of assistance to steady her, and the announcer stated that she was the masters world record holder in the 50 and 100 free…in the 100-104 age group! I was utterly flabbergasted, she was in amazing shape for being that age and went off the blocks for both… Read more »
I’m not at all ashamed to say that at a bit more than 30 years younger than Rick, he’d have beat me in every single one of those races, though I’d have given him a race in a few of ’em.
The scary thing is some of these are “off” events for Rick.Congratulations to both Rick and Willard (Wink)!
Yes, Rick hasn’t swum backstroke in many decades to my knowledge. To set an American Record in his worst stroke is pretty amazing. His best events are the 200BR (hasn’t swum yet), 400IM (4:43.56) and 200IM (2:10.59). So far, he owns 15 out of the 17 70-74 American yards records and 8 short course meters American records. He hasn’t swum long course meters yet and he’s even better long course.