Ruta Meilutyte Tears Down US Open Record with 28.70 SCM 50 Breast in Indianapolis

2022 FINA WORLD CUP – INDIANAPOLIS

• Thursday, November 3 – Saturday, November 5, 2022
• Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results (Omega)
• Live Stream

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 28.56, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2018
• World Jr Record: 28.81, Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 2020
• World Cup Record: 28.56, Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2018
• US Open Record: 28.90, Lilly King (USA), 2019

PODIUM:

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 28.70 US Open
2. Lilly King (USA) – 29.16
3. Andrea Podmanikova (SVK) – 29.89

The comeback of Ruta Meilutyte continues. After coming back from retirement last season, the breaststroke superstar wasted no time getting back into her top form. She traveled to the LC World Championships this past summer, where she won gold in the 50 breast and bronze in the 100 breast. She did the same at the LC European Championships at the end of the summer, winning gold in the 50 breast and bronze in the 100.

Tonight, Meilutyte’s journey back to the top of the sprint breaststroke mountain continued, as she won the 50 breast over American star Lilly King. Meilutyte threw down a 28.70. The swim comes in just .10 seconds off her personal best, which she set at the first stop of this World Cup in Berlin just two weeks ago. Her 28.60 from Berlin notably stands as the European Record in the event.

While she was just a hair off her personal best. Meilutyte did down the US Open Record, which was held by Lilly King from the 2019 ISL Finals in Las Vegas. King’s record stood at 28.90, a mark which Meilutyte had no trouble clearing tonight.

Meilutyte surely has her eyes on the World Record, which sits at 28.56, just 0.04 seconds faster than her 28.60 from Berlin. Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson holds that record with a performance from the 2018 World Cup.