Last night, 18-year-old Campbell McKean clinched the national title in the men’s 100 breaststroke in a remarkable 58.96.
As reported here, this performance not only marked his first time breaking the 1:00-barrier but also saw him skip the 59-second mark entirely.
McKean’s swim established a new new 17-18 National Age Group Record, surpassing in almost a full second the previous mark of 59.82 set by Michael Andrew in 2016.
Moreover, McKean’s time is now the fastest ever recorded by a male swimmer aged 18 or under in the 100 breaststroke. Prior to this, the best time in this age group was 59.01, achieved by Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi during the semifinals of the 2017 World Junior Swimming Championships.
As you may recall, Martinenghi is the current Olympic champion in the event, having secured victory at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Aside from Martinenghi, the list of the fastest 18 & under swimmers is impressive, as it features other prominent names. Two of them are Britain’s Adam Peaty and China’s Qin Haiyang, the current world record holders in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, respectively. Additionally, Akihiro Yamaguchi, who held the 200 breaststroke world record from 2012 to 2017, and Michael Andrew, the current American record holder in the 100 breaststroke, are notable mentions.
Serbia’s Caba Siladji, who ranks eighth with his 59.90 swim from 2009, was the first 18-year-old in history to enter the 59-second territory. Sixteen years later, Campbell McKean makes history by producing a 58-second swim.
First American
First one EVER.
Yes, that’s correct. He is the first American. He’s also the first human from any country.
Someone went straight to comments section without reading the article.
This is exciting. Been a while since the US had a legit Breastroke start (apologies to Fink who has done an admirable job the last few years).
Nick Mahabir?
He’s on the list under his full name, Nicholas Mahabir.
Insane