2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 10-15, 2024
- Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Live Results
- Prelims Live Recap:Â Day 1Â |Â Day 2Â |Â Day 3Â |Â Day 4Â |Â Day 5Â |Â Day 6
- Finals Live Recap:Â Day 1Â |Â Day 2Â |Â Day 3Â |Â Day 4Â | Day 5Â |Â Day 6
- Full Results (PDF)
Courtesy: Nick Starcevich
The 2024 Short Course World Championships did not disappoint and will be a meet to remember after a stunning 30 world records were broken in Budapest. With this meet finished, all super-suited short course world records are now wiped away never to be heard from again. Right?
Technically yes, this is true. All ratified short course world records have now been set in textile suits. The last two to fall were the women’s 50 fly, which Gretchen Walsh broke twice, and the men’s 200 free, which Luke Hobson also broke twice.
However, there is technically a “world’s fastest time” in short course meters that is still super-suited, and is over a second faster than the ratified world record.
The men’s 4x50m freestyle relay currently has a ratified world record of 1:21.80, set by the Americans at the 2018 Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China.
Caeleb Dressel led off, and he was followed by three more NCAA standouts, Ryan Held, Jack Conger and Michael Chadwick.
However, due to this event not being added to the World Aquatics list of recognized world records until July 25th, 2013, the “world’s fastest time” set by France at the 2008 European Short Course Championships is still significantly faster than the U.S. was in 2018.
That French squad featured the same group that won silver at the 2008 Olympics in the 4×100 free relay:Â Alain Bernard, Fabien Gilot, Amaury Leveaux, and Frederick Bousquet combined for a blistering time of 1:20.77.
A video of this remarkable relay is provided below:
Jordan Crooks‘ newly minted world record of 19.90 in the 50 free was a jaw-dropping performance and appears to be a near-flawless race. It makes it hard to believe that Leveaux and Bousquet were ripping 19s from a relay start 16 years ago, before anybody even kicked underwater to the 15-meter mark.
Split Comparison:
| France, 2008 | USA, 2018 |
| Alain Bernard – 20.64 | Caeleb Dressel – 20.43 |
| Fabien Gilot – 20.33 | Ryan Held – 20.25 |
| Amaury Leveaux – 19.93 | Jack Conger – 20.59 |
| Frederick Bousquet – 19.87 | Michael Chadwick – 20.53 |
| Total – 1:20.77 | Total – 1:21.80 |
It’ll clearly take an unforeseen set of four men to break this mark and it may not happen for a very, very long time. Time will tell what this unratified supersuited world record’s fate is.
Bernard really tightened up there
If they had bigger blocks with even slightly modern exchanges, they would have been half a second faster. The second and third legs didn’t even do full arm swings or step-ups! They had both feet on the edge and just swung their arms from their sides to chest height. Though, I don’t know if they should get the benefit of the doubt on that because step-up relay exchanges were well-established by 2008. I remember doing them in middle school in 2006.
I did them at D3s in 1990
“before anybody even kicked underwater to the 15-meter mark.”
Berkoff blastoff? Pankratov?
Anyway seeing the renewed discussion of supersuit records because they’ve been not only topped but eviscerated in many cases is a fever dream.
The men 50 free now doesn’t seem impossible
200 free, I refer you to Popovici’s smile upon seeing Pan’s winning time
The 400 seems to be on borrowed time
The 800, erm
Piersol’s 200 back I’m going to dare speculate that Kos is significantly besting Lochte’s short course times so perhaps? That or some Russian Wunderkinder we’ll see this go sooner than later
The relays the us has already been getting close to the 4×1 and the 4×2 has held out by sheer… Read more »
I think the 400, 4×2, and W 2 fly will be the first to go
I came on to comment on the “before anybody even kicked 15m”
So many people for two decades by this point!
But OP has a point that on that particular relay no one did, except maybe Bousquet in the turn that got to the 12.5 mark at most. Everyone was breaking out at 10 meters tops and still ripping 20s
Dressel and Crooks don’t kick out the full 15m either…
Thought this particular topic was quite relevant and intriguing at the moment with the context of worlds. Thanks for publishing!
I’ve heard more than one coach suggest that in order for the French to win in Beijing Bousquet had top be the anchor nor Baranrd.
Wow ! This video reminds me the era where there was a huge competition in the sprint events in the French Championships and the relay battles between France, USA, Australia and Russia sometimes.
I’ve been quite convinced for a while this might last longer than Zhang Lin’s 800FR WR.
Heck, even Piersol’s 200BK
Anything lasting longer than Zhan Lin’s 800FR WR requires someone to break this WR, which won’t happen, because this is the one supersuit record that is literally impossible to achieve for anyone not wearing a supersuit.
Interesting things from a time ago. False start drop rope, not too many walk up starts, no high speed cameras above. I wonder how deep the pool was?
The lane ropes are not cutting it in the video