Tom Shields Dreaming Of A World Record

Captured and edited by Mitch Bowmile

Reported by Loretta Race

MEN’S 100 FLY

But the Americans struck back in the men’s 100 fly, as Tom Shields dove in and nearly broke the World Record. He finished with a final time of 48.63, missing the world record by .19 but lowering the American and US Open Records. Shields broke his own American record of 48.80 and also lowered Ian Crocker‘s US Open record of 49.07 from 2004.

Hungarian Laszlo Cseh was second at 49.55, and the European All-Stars nabbed the third-place points, too, on Pavel Sankovich‘s 51.21.

MEN’S 400 MEDLEY RELAY

In the final event of the day, the men’s relay of Matt Grevers, Kevin Cordes, Tom Shields, and Nathan Adrian broke the American record, winning the event in 3:20.91. That broke the previous American record from 2010 of 3:20.99. Grever’s lead off split also broke the US Open record in the men’s 100 backstroke. He touched at 49.25, lowering his own record from 2011 of 49.85.

Shields, fresh off his rattling of the world record, blasted a 48.07 on the fly leg, and Adrian outsplit Vlad Morozov 45.56 to 45.66 to cap off the win.

The European relay was made up of Arkady Vyatchanin, Daniel Gyurta, Laszlo Cseh and Morozov, and went 3:21.87. Gyurta put the team into the lead with a 56.38 breaststroke split, but he was the only European to outsplit his American counterpart and Shileds erased the lead almost instantly.