Michael Andrew Breaks World Junior Record In 50m Breaststroke

2016 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

After winning his first world championship gold medal last night, Michael Andrew of the United States was back in full force this morning with a new world junior record in the 50m breaststroke.

Andrew qualified seventh overall for tonight’s semifinals with a time of 26.56, bettering his personal best of 26.82 that he set at a FINA World Cup event in Berlin this past August.

The time also bettered Turkey’s Huseyin Sakci’s world junior record of 26.67 that he set back in December of 2015, just about a year ago.

Andrew’s swim came about halfway through the session, following a performance on the prelim squad of the 4x50m medley relay. There, diving in after a 23.84 backstroke leg by Matthew Josa, Andrew managed to split a 26.62.

Surprisingly he was about one-tenth faster without the flying start in order to break the record.

His time now makes him the fifth fastest American ever behind Ed Moses, Cody Miller, Mike Alexandrov, and Mark Gangloff.

In order to top the rankings, he’ll need to go faster than the 26.28 that Moses swam in Berlin back in January of 2002.

Cody Miller was right on that mark this morning, sporting a 26.34 in order to swim a best time and qualify for the semifinal fourth overall.

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Attila the Runt
7 years ago

Go MA!

Captain Ahab
7 years ago

He needs to train with Adam Peaty over the Holidays. With a focus on sprint breaststroke.

tea rex
7 years ago

Since NCAA is off the table, he should try to go train with Adam Peaty in the UK. However Peaty is training, it has obviously put him head and shoulders above the competition, and I know the Andrews are all about trying cutting edge techniques.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
7 years ago

Since the OT in Omaha , he is on a roll !!! well done Michael

Person
7 years ago

I think 100 breast is his event for LCM, so improvement here is good. Probably slower on the relay since he hasn’t done relays as often as other guys that actually have a team and all. I would still absolutely love for him to try some more traditional training for the end of that 200 IM, especially since it’s the beginning of a new quad and if it turns out horribly he’ll have time to recover from it.
Still, he’s had a mixed meet with some very nice highlights. World Champ at 17, continues to break records.

Bigly
Reply to  Person
7 years ago

31 for the 50 free at the end of the 200 IM wasn’t good enough for you?

Person
Reply to  Bigly
7 years ago

No, not quite XD I’m of the belief that starting out as a more versatile swimmer that does longer distance at a young age (like Phelps and Lochte) helps with longevity, and I’d really like MA to have a good long course 200 IM because it’s now a relatively open event for the U.S.

bobo gigi
7 years ago

I will never understand all the drama and the debates about Michael Andrew.
Maybe because some swim fans have compared him since the beginning to Michael Phelps and have such crazy high expectations that they can only be disappointed. And the critics are disproportionate.
On the other hand I can also understand that too much hype for several years can irritate.
He’s 17. He’s now world champion. It’s the 100 IM. It’s SCM. So what? Let’s be positive sometimes. It’s just a great accomplishment. He was 4th at last olympic trials in the 100 breast in 59. Let’s see how he will develop in that event. And if he never wins a gold medal in long course… Read more »

Sean S
Reply to  bobo gigi
7 years ago

I think a lot of the annoyance comes from his family, and the insistence that USRPT is the absolute best way to go. Especially when he can’t finish a 200 IM in SCM. I agree that’s he’s an incredible swimmer, but the outsize expectations that come with turning pro at 15 definitely play a role in how people judge his performances.

Nations Best
Reply to  Sean S
7 years ago

It’s their preference and that’s great, I wish people would just let him be. Just because they don’t agree with what others think doesn’t mean they should be condemned. USRPT has been around for decades MA is just the newest and freshest face of it. I would like some more technical work on his fly and back but who am I to criticize their work. They will look at the results from the meet and make the necessary adjustments to training just as every coach in the world does with their swimmers following a championship meet.

Bigly
Reply to  Nations Best
7 years ago

It’s more than a preference — it’s also an economic reality for them. It’s their brand, he’s a pro, his dad is his devoted coach, and they profit (and have to) off the USRPT stuff and sponsorships. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s beyond just a preference at this point.

Bigly
Reply to  bobo gigi
7 years ago

Curious, Bobo, about your view of Missy Franklin, then. Tremendous hype after far greater accomplishments (Olympic golds and WRs) than MA at a young age, mostly downhill from there, extremely disappointing Olympics this time by her own admission. You’re only as good as your last race nowadays. You and others weren’t so positive about her.

Timing is everything. As you say, legends are made in the Big Pool and only at the Olympics. MA struck WC gold in the post-Olympic year in an event practically as useless for Olympic glory as the mixed relays (which I love). At least the mixed relays have a chance at making it to the Olympics.

Bigly
Reply to  bobo gigi
7 years ago

It’s not just comparisons to MP. It’s about perspective that attempts to put context on the accomplishments so that the truly remarkable ones remain historically truly remarkable. Look, a WC gold at 17 is great, but Gyurta won a silver medal at the Olympics in the 200 breast at 15 and broke an Olympic record at 19. Some people bloom earlier even than MA, and some actually get Olympic gold (as Gyurta eventually did).

Michael
7 years ago

If he’s behind Moses, Miller, Alexandrov, and gangloff then that would make him the 5th fastest American ever, not fourth.

samuel huntington
7 years ago

Great swim, congrats

About Mitch Bowmile

Mitch Bowmile

Mitch worked for 5-years with SwimSwam news as a web producer focusing on both Canadian and international content. He coached for Toronto Swim Club for four seasons as a senior coach focusing on the development of young swimmers. Mitch is an NCCP level 2 certified coach in Canada and an ASCA Level …

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