Phoebe Bacon Leads Medley Off in 59.02 to Break Coughlin’s 100BK Pan Am Record

2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES

  • Villa Deportiva Nacional – Videna, Lima, Peru
  • Tuesday, August 6th – Saturday, August 10th (pool swimming)
  • Prelims 11 AM / Finals 8:30 PM (local time/US Central Time)
  • Official Website
  • Entry List
  • Live Results

16-Year-Old American Phoebe Bacon swam a personal best leading of the Team USA women’s 4×100 medley relay at the Pan American games. Bacon led off in 59.02, bettering her personal best by .10 seconds. Bacon’s previous best was 59.12, which she swam at last Summer’s US Nationals. That time establishes a new Pan American Games Record, as the previous record was held by Natalie Coughlin in 59.05. Bacon’s time was also .45 seconds faster than the 59.47 she swam to win Gold in the individual 100 back earlier in the week.

Here is a split comparison between Bacon’s old best and her lead-off from tonight:

Phoebe Bacon 2019 Pan American Games Relay Lead-off 2018 US Nationals
50m 29.04 28.80
100m 29.98 30.32
FINAL TIME 59.02 59.12

Bacon was out slower tonight than she was last Summer, but she came home considerably faster. That swim marks the first time Bacon has gotten both splits under 30 seconds. Her swim also keeps her as #2 all-time for American girls in the 15-16 age group. The National Age Group Record is held by Regan Smith at 58.83.

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Swimfan
4 years ago

Phoebe has 1 more year to get faster and stronger if she wants to take out smoligia and or baker in the 100 back for her to punch her ticket to Tokyo

Well
4 years ago

59.02 and 4th in your own country

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
4 years ago

DOB
Smith, Regan – 09 Feb 2002
Bacon, Phoebe – 12 Aug 2002
Stadden, Isabelle – 09 Jul 2002
Berkoff, Katharine –

I assume that Berkoff’s birth year is 2001 since Katharine will be a freshman at North Carolina State University this fall semester.

Boknows34
Reply to  Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
4 years ago

Berkoff is 28 Jan 2001 according to the WUGs Entry List

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Boknows34
4 years ago

Thanks

Riko
4 years ago

It is incredible how US keep pull out fantastic backstroke swimmer one after another

MKW
4 years ago

Bacon crushed it this week! The American backstroke machine keeps churning ’em out.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  MKW
4 years ago

The vast majority love “sizzling” Bacon.

run-dmc
Reply to  MKW
4 years ago

I like bacon bits.

Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

The amazing competition in the US women’s 100 back pushes everybody to improve constantly. But it’s crazy and sad to think that so many great talents will stay at home next year and will watch the olympic games on TV.

Superfan
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

Very true but is said about every USA olympic team….that is why they only let 2 per country

Texas Tap Water
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

Bobo, what happened to French swimming? Why did it dropoff so quickly and suddenly?

Jay Ryan
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

The French sent some good young swimmers to US Nats like that young 18 yo Backstroker 53.8 and their breaststroker who went 1:00.08 (although he was born in 1995)

Texas Tap Water
Reply to  Jay Ryan
4 years ago

France was #19 in Gwangju with pitiful 2 bronze medals, behind swimming powerhouses such as Ukraine and Norway.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

Ouch!

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the women’s 100 m butterfly will most likely need to rely upon Huske and Curzan going forward.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

Dare I think it? Dare I say it? Speaking of talents staying at home, Katie Drabot better start looking over her shoulder in the women’s 200 m butterfly. It’s not a question of if, but when.

Swamfan
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

How does this have 18 downvotes? Ya’ll are wild.

The Ready Room
Reply to  Swamfan
4 years ago

Bobo Bots out in full force.

Paul Thomas
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
4 years ago

It’s somewhat insane to think that Olivia Smoliga, who just got done winning backstroke gold and bronze at the world championships, is a decided underdog to even make the team next summer in her best event.

If I were her, I might just focus a bit more on freestyle, as I do think she has a good shot at making the 100 free relay team.

dmswim
Reply to  Paul Thomas
4 years ago

I was thinking the same thing. The women’s 100 free is relatively weak at this point.

MTK
Reply to  dmswim
4 years ago

If you can go 53.anything, you have a decent chance to be top 6.

Will
4 years ago

Its crazy how when Coughlin went 59.0 4 years ago that made her a favorite to make the Olympic team. Now a 59.0 100 back puts you maybe in the top 5 contenders, and to make the team you’ll probably have to be low 58

N80
Reply to  Will
4 years ago

I wouldn’t say top 5. Strong 3-4 depending on how Baker recovers

Heyitsme
Reply to  N80
4 years ago

Smith, Smoliga, Bacon, Baker, Berkoff will be 57-58.5 next summer

Will
Reply to  Heyitsme
4 years ago

Missy Franklin’s Olympic Trial meet record of 58.85 is gonna get demolished. Probably at least 5 girls under that mark. This event has progressed so much in the last quad, especially in the US

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  Will
4 years ago

A truer statement has never been made about this.

SkiSki
Reply to  Heyitsme
4 years ago

If only Beata Nelson could swim long course well

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  Will
4 years ago

That depends which Kathleen Baker shows up at the Olympic Trials, the one from the summer of 2019 or the one from the summer of 2018.

As a point of reference, Olivia Smoliga’s personal best is 58.73 in the women’s 100 m backstroke.