Three More World Records Fall On Day Two Of U.S. Paralympic National Championships

While this meet is not a qualifying event for the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore because the selection period has already ended and the roster announced, it still provides a valuable opportunity. Those not qualified get a chance to shine on a national stage, while those already selected can get some tune-up racing reps in before Worlds.

On the second day of action, there were many great swims, but the clear highlight was the three world records that fell throughout the day.

After setting a world record in the women’s 50 butterfly S4 twice on Friday, Katie Kubiak collected her third record of the weekend in the 100 backstroke. The 22-year-old stopped the clock in 1:32.72 during prelims, smashing the previous standard of 1:43.91 set by the Netherlands’ Lisette Teunissen back in 2011. She ultimately scratched the final to focus on the 50 freestyle, where she once again broke new ground with a world record swim of 36.44. It was her fourth of the meet, undercutting Germany’s Tanja Scholz’s 2022 mark of 36.92.

“It’s been a very surreal meet so far – I started working with a coach and we’ve been focusing on the weak aspects of my races, so being able to see those areas be stronger Friday and today has been promising,” Kubiak told U.S. Paralympic Swimming. “It gives me a lot of confidence going into world championships, which is my first international competition, knowing that I’m still making improvements when I’m competing and that I’m doing the right things to keep improving and staying at the level I want to be at.”

After posting a new world mark in the men’s 400 IM S10 on Friday, Koehn Boyd delivered another powerful swim in the 200 butterfly S10. He put his hands on the wall in 2:05.50, setting a new world record and shaving over a full second off the previous mark of 2:06.66 set by Raimondi Stefano of Italy in 2023.

“I came into this weekend hoping to drop time and do my best, and I never thought something like a world record was within reach, so I’m incredibly honored to represent this community and Team USA,” said Boyd. “Ahead of world championships in Singapore, I’m going to keep training mentally and physically, and keep my eye on the prize which is to hopefully make it to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.”

Additional highlights included 22-year-old Olivia Chambers, who claimed the top spot in the women’s 100 breaststroke S13, logging a time of 1:20.35. The reigning 400 freestyle Paralympic champion, who also earned silver in this 100 breast and the 200 IM in Paris, was slightly off the 1:18.24 she posted at the Indy Para World Series stop in late April.

Indiana native Aiden Stivers won the men’s 100 breast S9 in 1:15.62. Although a few seconds shy of his season best, it was a clear win for the high school junior.

21-year-old Noah Jaffe, who walked away from the Paris Paralympics with a silver in the 100 free and a bronze in the mixed 4×100 free relay, clocked 27.42 to win the men’s 50 free S8.

Competition concludes today, with preliminary sessions starting at 9 a.m. MT and finals beginning at 5:30 p.m. MT.