Federico Grabich Breaks Argentine 100 Free National Record for 2nd Time Today

Federico Grabich, who represents Argentina in international competition, has just broken his own national record in the 100 meter freestyle on the first night of the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games– a record that he first broke this morning in prelims. His time of 48.26 is now the fastest swim in the 100 free ever done by an Argentine swimmer. Take a look at his comparative splits from the first time he broke the record in prelims and finals:

Prelims — 23.37/25.23 = 48.60

Finals — 22.95/25.31 = 48.26

Just from looking at Grabich’s splits, it’s clear he decided to push himself harder for a very fast first 50 in finals, which cracked 23 seconds. This strategy turned out well for him, as he dropped over three tenths from prelims.

Before today, the Argentine national record was held by Matias Aguilera at 48.99. In two swims, Grabich has taken the record all the way down near the 48.00 barrier. The 25-year-old beat a very talented field, including silver medalist Santo Condorelli (48.57) of Canada and bronze medalist Marcelo Chierighini (48.80) of Brazil. Those three were the only swimmers to get under 49 seconds in either A or B final.

In addition to his new national record, Grabich has cracked the world top 5 in this event, putting up the 5th best time this year.

Grabich holds national records in the 200 free, 50 back, 100 back, and now the 100 free. He’s got a big schedule ahead of him at the 2015 Pan Ams: in addition to the 400 free relay final coming up later tonight, he’s entered in the 50 and 200 free, the 100 backstroke, and the 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.