While Australians older junior-level swimmers are tearing up the pool at the World Junior Championships in Dubai, the Japanese Junior Olympic Cup in Tokyo is hosting 13 younger Australians.
The star of the meet thus far has been Matthew Wilson, who in two days has broken a pair of Australian Age Records for 14-year olds: one of which was very old.
Wilson first won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.67, which broke the 1:05.75 set by Regan Harrison back in 1993.
Then, on Thursday, he swam a 2:20.76, which broke Lennard Bremer’s 2009 record of 2:21.14, set in 2009. He was only 6th in that race, though, showing the strength of the Japanese Juniors.
Among other standout times were 15-year old budding sprint star Kyle Chalmers, who took 2nd in the “championship category,” which is open to all junior level swimmers, of the 100 free in 50.93.
The 15-16 group in the 100 free went to Damian Fyfe in 51.95, and the 15-16 200 free win went to him as well in 1:51.07.
Which brought me to think that Ledecky’s 15-16 NAG records will last for a loooooonnnnggggg time
I personally think that Phelps and Thorpe’s records will last longer. Girls generally develop much faster and it can be argued that they are less competitive than men, it is far from unprecedented for a 15/16 year old female to set great times or even world records even in the modern era. But for a male to be world class at 15 is extremely special. Thorpe’s best time in the 400m at age 15 was 3:44.35 (and 3:41.83 at 16, I can’t decide which is more amazing), while Phelps’ best time in the 200m butterfly at 15 was 1:54.93. To illustrate how amazing they are, both of those times were faster than the silver medal winning times at this year’s… Read more »
Add to that list Gyurta 15 year old 200m breast and Sun yang 1500 16 year old.. I don´t think I will see those 2 plus Thorpe 400 and Phelps 200 fly fall so early
The other remaining records from the 1970s are Sippy Woodhead’s 13-14 200 & 400 free records from 1978 (Ledecky just missed the 400 before she aged up in 2012, IIRC) and Mary Meagher’s 2:07.01 13-14 200 fly world record in 1979. I’d say Meagher’s 2:05. 96 15-16 200 fly record might actually be as tough as Phelps’ version of the same race- seems like, save for the suit era, the time would reliably put someone into medal position in any modern WC/Olympics.
The USA 13-14 m100breast NAG record is also quite old, a 1:04.74 by Anthony Robinson (1994).
But it’s nowhere as old as the 1,500free 13-14 NAG record by Jesse Vasallo who recorded 15:31.03 in 1976!!
which is as old as Bobby Hackett’s 15-16 NAG of 15:;03.91 also from 1976.
When will US boys rise to occasion and match Ledecky?
Girls often develop earlier than boys in distance freestyles. That’s why some of the greatest female distance swimmers were 16 (Janet Evans, Katie Ledecky, etc) while most of the best male distance swimmers were in their early twenties.
With the NCAA having 4 relays swimming a 50 or 100 and the importance of this category the benefit of the distance person has diminished. In 76 also include Hartloff the other Olympian with Hackett and all four were HS age. They really put in the work that many don’t see the need with value to their future college swimming. We will still have some come thru as is happening just not like the sprinting. The when they add 50′ at Olympics we will see change there.
I believe we did an article on this last december…
http://swimswam.com/the-most-enduring-usa-national-age-group-records-and-why/
I think the reason that Hackett and Vasallo have had records that have endured so long is because there was specific weakness in the 1500 in 1976 for the US in comparison to the other events. This is what likely incited youngsters to rise to the occasion when their country needed them to. This is not unlike how Jaeger and Gemmell rose to the occasion this past Olympic year, and that is why I have the utmost respect for Jaeger’s 6th place finish at the Olympics in a race he had only swam a handful of times!
It still does not make sense.
So the record lasted for so long because the US mens distance have been stronger since 1976?
Or are you saying that US men distance is now strong which caused the youngsters not to be able to rise and break NAG records?
Oh no I’m just saying that Hackett seized the opportunity to make the Olympic team because he was blessed with natural talent and he swam during a time when large time drops were still happening and the US had a stranglehold on most of the Olympic events. Had Brian Goodell not won the race that year at the Olympics, Hackett would have set the world record by a tremendous amount. Of course youngsters can certainly still make a leap to the big stage these days, but on the men’s side it looks like people are hitting their prime in their mid-20’s instead of their teenage years, so maybe we will need another Phelps-esque phenom in order to go nearly sub… Read more »
You mean on the US right? Cause going below 15 minutes at 16 years already happened at world..
Add to that Stephen Hollande’s 15 years 15.30 which he set in 1973 for the Wr & wchampion.
Not sure if Perkins or Hackett got that nor even Horton. Maybe they did but just barely & surely not also being world champ.
Steve’s swimming style was sublimely pretty.
The Australian 15 yo record in men 1,500 is 15:14.73 by in fact, Mack Horton, last year.
So he is in line to be the next distance great if he keeps up his improvement rate.