Kevin Cordes Breaks U.S. Open Record in 200 Meter Breaststroke on Day 2 of U.S. Nationals

Arizona senior-to-beΒ Kevin Cordes has broken the U.S. Open and National Championship Meet Record in the 200 meter breaststroke, swimming a 2:07.86 on day 2 of the 2014 U.S. National Championships in Irvine, California.

That cleared the old Meet Record of 2:08.01 done by Eric Shanteau in 2009. That Shanteau swim was also the U.S. Open Record – which is to say, the fastest time ever done on American soil.

Cordes has accomplished just about everything there is to accomplish in the yards pool even with a year of NCAA eligibility left, and while he was the United States’ best long course breaststroker last year, he still had growth to compete for medals on the world’s stage. He’s now made that growth, and currently sits 3rd in the world behind Brits Ross Murdoch and Michael Jamieson.

Cordes’ personal previous best was a 2:08.34 at Nationals last year. The target in finals for the American Record is Shanteau’s 2:07.42.

The comparisons between Shanteau’s 2:08.01, Shanteau’s 2:07.42, and Cordes’ 2:07.86:

Shanteau (2009 U.S. Open Record) – 29.35 – 32.33 – 32.73 – 33.60 = 2:08.01
Cordes (2014 U.S. Open Record) – 29.22 – 32.40 – 32.96 – 33.28 = 2:07.86
Shanteau (2009 American Record) – 29.10 – 32.59 – 33.02 – 32.70 = 2:07.42

The splits reveal that the two swim with very similar pacing, though on Shanteau’s American Record, aided by the polyurethane suit and its fatigue-fighting powers, the closing 50 was amazing.

Frankly, what history has indicated is that a 1:34.5 is about what you can do in the first 150 ofΒ a two minute and seven second 200 breaststroke. There seems to be a soft ceiling in play there. The difference comes on the tail-end, where the Shanteau’s, Akihiro Yamaguchi’s, and Daniel Gyurta’s of the world are able to hang on for one more sub-33 second split.

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Scotcoach
10 years ago

Having been at the Commonwealth Games, I saw that Murdoch can race last 50. Also, hugely lower stroke count and more efficiency 150m shows there is a fair bit to drop and still come back in 31.
Prediction for rio:
Murdoch 2.05.7
Gyurta 2.06.5
Cordes 2.06.9

Rafael
10 years ago

Sorry to appear harsh but the world does not give a damn about yards..

Floppy
10 years ago

1:48 in yards is LEGENDARY.

Mary T’s 2:05 is legendary.
Kieren Perkin’s 3:43/14:41 is legendary.
Coughlin’s 49.98 is legendary.

Legendary doesn’t mean “unequivocally the best, no one could ever dispute that this is the best swimmer of all time.” It means… DAM, the swimming world won’t ever forget this.

The Namesake
10 years ago

Will he go faster tonight? Or at PanPacs? I want to believe in Cordes!

gooby
Reply to  The Namesake
10 years ago

Believe! He will go faster tonight.

bobo gigi
Reply to  gooby
10 years ago

I want to believe it! 😎

Rafael
10 years ago

2:05 is a little bit of a strecht.. I would except a 2:06 high this year on European (Maybe, Gyurta is not there.. so he and Murdoch will not push each other but 2015 worlds for Sure… the problems it seems is that Gyurta ALWAYS seems to deliver exactly what he needs when needed.. If Murdoch Cordes go 2:06:9 Gyurta might go 2:06:07

Mcgillrocks
Reply to  Rafael
10 years ago

Gyurta is clutch. Watch 2011 worlds v kitajima. He was down by a ton with 50 to go, closed that gap the won the turnover dash the last 15 meters.

He shows up every time he gets in the pool, and could soon claim legend status if he keeps up his wimning ways in kazan and rio.

chebstroke
10 years ago

Or sub 32 if you’re Ross Murdoch (although he wasn’t 1.34.5 at 150 to be fair).

Is someone going 2.05 by Rio?

rjcid
10 years ago

O wow… 2.0.7…

yourfather
10 years ago

this kid is a legend

bobo gigi
Reply to  yourfather
10 years ago

He’s very talented but how can you call him “a legend” while he has still not won any international gold medal? πŸ™„
He’s a legend in USA in yards. Ok. But there’s still much work to do internationally in long course.

TheTroubleWithX
Reply to  bobo gigi
10 years ago

You have to have worldwide renown to be considered a legend? I didn’t realize there were rules about these sort of things… πŸ™‚

Rafael
Reply to  TheTroubleWithX
10 years ago

If not having any international gold is enough to be a legend.. what we should call Kitajima? Deity? I think to be considered a legend in any sport you have to beat the current best at their own game.. and cordes has yet to do that.. I donΒ΄t think it is okay to put Cordes on the same level of Real us swimming legends like Biondi and Peirsol and a known swimswam writer..

bobo gigi
Reply to  TheTroubleWithX
10 years ago

That’s what I said.
He’s probably a legend in American swimming because he has done amazing things in yards.
But to call him a swimming legend overall, he will have to win some world and olympic gold medals and break some world records. It seems obvious.
Kitajima is a breaststroke legend.
Aaron Peirsol is a backstroke legend.
Why Katie Ledecky is already a legend?
Why Mark Spitz is a legend?
Why Ian Thorpe is a legend?
Why Michael Phelps is the legend of the legends?

But perhaps we don’t have the same meaning of the word “legend”. It’s possible. πŸ™‚

bobo gigi
Reply to  bobo gigi
10 years ago

But since Bieber is called by some people a “legend” of music, then, yes, anything is possible about the meaning of the word “legend”.

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Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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