Claire Curzan Becomes Youngest Woman Under 50 Seconds in 100 Butterfly

TAC TITANS INVITATIONAL MEET

  • August 7-9, 2020
  • Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, North Carolina
  • 25 yard (SCY) course
  • Psych Sheets
  • Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 TAC Titans Invitational Meet”

NAG record-holder Claire Curzan became the youngest woman ever under 50 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly this evening at a TAC Titans Invitational meet in North Carolina. Curzan, 16, clocked a 49.73 to knock off her 50.03 previous best from the TAC Titans’ last intrasquad in July.

SPLITS

  • First 50 – 23.07
  • Second 50 – 26.66
  • Total – 49.73

Curzan entered the summer with the 15-16 NAG set at 50.35; at the end of July, USA Swimming clarified confusion around the legitimacy and official nature of July performances by ratifying her 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly NAG marks from the July intrasquad.

When Curzan went 50.03 in July, she raced in a heat with seven boys; tonight, she swam in a girls-only heat. Curzan’s 50.03 made her the fastest junior in yards history ahead of 17-18 NAG record-holder Olivia Bray (50.19), and she’s now almost half-a-second ahead of Bray in the 18 & under all-time rankings.

Tonight’s swim makes her the fifth-fastest performer in history in this event, and she’s the first woman to break 50 seconds as an 18 & under. A rising high school junior, Curzan would’ve placed third at the last NCAA Championships (in 2019) in the 100 fly behind only Louise Hansson and Maggie MacNeil, who are tied for the fastest performance in history at 49.26.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly

  1. (TIE) Louise Hansson, 2019/Maggie MacNeil, 2019 – 49.26
  2. Erika Brown, 2020 – 49.38
  3. Kelsi Dahlia (Worrell), 2016 – 49.43
  4. Claire Curzan, 2020 – 49.73 – 15-16 NAG record
  5. Katie McLaughlin, 2019 – 49.97
  6. Natalie Coughlin, 2002 – 50.01
  7. Farida Osman, 2017 – 50.05
  8. Rachel Komisarz, 2007 – 50.10
  9. Olivia Bray, 2019 – 50.19 – 17-18 NAG record

Tonight, Curzan won the race by almost four full seconds; Marlins of Raleigh’s Abby Arens, an NC State commit, posted a 53.54 to take second.

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Gesundheit
4 years ago

wut

Mac
4 years ago

Outstanding!

Dan
4 years ago

Is this meet available online or are some of the races available online/youtube?

Admin
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

They streamed their last meet on YT, but doesn’t look like anything this time.

N.C. Swim Fan
Reply to  Braden Keith
4 years ago

They are streaming, but you have to buy a subscription to their channel https://www.teamunify.com/team/nctac/page/news/246889/tac-tv-is-now-live

Tomek
4 years ago

C’mon SwimSwam find the video

swimmerTX
4 years ago

There are kids who go that time in a 100 yd. free. And then there’s Claire, who goes that time in FLY

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  swimmerTX
4 years ago

And she only turned 16 two months ago too

ddb
Reply to  swimmerTX
4 years ago

I am one of them…and I am swimming in college…and a guy…

Svetlana
4 years ago

Good example that circumstances should not put a limit on your success.

Svetlana Vanyo
Reply to  Svetlana
4 years ago

Meant to say “should NOT put a limit”. 👌

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Svetlana
4 years ago

Women’s 100 meter butterfly
Curzan – DOB 30 Jun 2004
Shkurdai – DOB 03 Jan 2003
Ikee – DOB 04 Jul 2000
MacNeil – DOB 26 Feb 2000
Yufei – DOB 19 Apr 1998

Notice a certain nation is missing from the aforementioned list. Hint, I am not talking about Sweden.

Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago
Supafly23
4 years ago

Still waiting for my Claire Curzan signature swim tether!

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  Supafly23
4 years ago

Love Claire’s comment earlier this year to her dad about being “part aquatic mammal”. Many of us can relate!

About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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