Richard Burns Slices Almost 7 Seconds Off World Record in Men’s 80-84 200 Back (3:04.59)

by Riley Overend 6

August 07th, 2023 Masters, National, News

2023 USMS SUMMER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Three more individual world records fell on the final day of the 2023 United States Masters Swimming (USMS) Summer National Championships in Sarasota, Florida.

After breaking three of his own masters world records on Friday, 80-year-old Richard Burns broke another global standard in the men’s 80-84 200-meter backstroke with a time of 3:04.59. The Tamalpais Aquatic Club standout crushed the previous world record of 3:11.43 that Hungary’s Jozsef Csikany set in January by nearly seven seconds. Burns took down the men’s 80-84 marks in the 50 butterfly (34.39), 50 backstroke (36.83), and 100 backstroke (1:22.06) on Friday, sneaking under his own records from last month’s Pacific Masters Championships.

At 72 years old, Laura Val remarkably continues to drop time in the women’s 70-74 100 freestyle. Her time of 1:06.68 on Sunday was a couple tenths quicker than her own world record of 1:06.90 from October of 2021.

Another big name in masters swimming, Erika Braun, broke the world record in the women’s 50-54 100 freestyle with a time of 1:00.40. The 51-year-old North Carolina Masters Swimming standout just barely edged the former record of 1:00.42 by France’s Marie-Therese Fuzzati in 2015. Earlier in the meet, Braun helped wipe out relay records in the mixed 200-239 200 medley relay (1:57.86) and 200-219 200 freestyle relay (1:54.10).

All Day 5 Records:

  • Chuck Barnes, New England Masters Swim Club: men’s 45-49 200 backstroke (2:12.67, USMS record)
  • Richard Burns, Tamalpais Aquatic Club: men’s 80-84 200 backstroke (3:04.57, World Aquatics world Masters record and USMS record)
  • Erika Braun, North Carolina Masters Swimming: women’s 50-54 100 freestyle (1:00.40, World Aquatics world Masters record and USMS record)
  • Laura Val, Tamalpais Aquatic Club: women’s 70-74 100 freestyle (1:06.68, World Aquatics world Masters record and USMS record)
  • Dave Noble, MOVY Masters: men’s 80-84 200 butterfly (3:54.46, USMS record)
  • Jane Oberg, Colorado Masters Swimming: women’s 85-89 400 IM (10:17.34, USMS record)

6
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

6 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Michael Andrew Wilson
1 year ago

That’s really impressive.

Also, I’m not sure I recognize the guy on the left of the photo without any unintelligible screaming.

Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Andrew Wilson
Oleg
1 year ago

Great achievement!

ROPES
1 year ago

why is the us national masters on at the same time as world championships in Japan.Very few Americans are entered.

Bupwa
1 year ago

Is Richard on the left or right in the photo??

swim
Reply to  Bupwa
1 year ago

right, left is rowdy gaines

Swim Fan
1 year ago

Bravo!

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

Read More »