Maxine Parker Jumps to #4 on 50 Free All-time List for 17-18 Girls with 24.96

7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019

• 50-Meter Course
• Duna Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
• Pool swimming: Tuesday, August 20 – Sunday, August 25, 2019
• Heats 9:30am GMT+2 (3:30 am EDT / 12:30 am PDT)/ Semifinals and Finals 5:30pm GMT+2 (11:30am EDT / 8:30am PDT)
• Meet site
• Entries book
• FinaTV Live Stream (subscription required)
• Live results

USA’s Maxine Parker jumped to number four in history for 17-18 girls in the 50-meter freestyle with her 24.96 semi-final performance in Budapest. Parker entered the meet with a seed time of 25.21 which placed her tenth on the all-time list for the age group. She had gone 25.21 at 2019 U.S. Nationals, finishing seventh in the championship final.

Parker came into the meet seeded third in the 50 free behind her teammate Gretchen Walsh (24.85) and Australia’s Meg Harris (25.09). Harris was fastest in heats on Saturday morning, qualifying for semis with 25.12. Walsh put up a 25.28 in heats to qualify second, while Russia’s Ekaterina Nikonova (25.46) and South Africa’s Aimee Canny (25.48) qualified third and fourth. Parker went 25.51 and was fifth overall out of the morning heats.

Swimming in lane 3 of the second semi-final, Parker surged over the second half of the race to overtake Harris. It looked like Harris might get back in front at the end but Parker put her hand to the wall first and stopped the clock at 24.96 for her first-ever sub-25 in the event. Italy’s Costanza Cocconcelli was third in the heat with 25.49.

Parker is now one of only four 17-18 girls in the United States to have broken the 25-second barrier in the 50 free. She joins good company in the club, including Olympians Simone Manuel and Abbey Weitzeil, and Grace Ariola.

Parker will line up in lane 4 for the final tomorrow night in Budapest with Harris to her right and Walsh to her left.