Vica Beelner Sets First Ever SM5 400 IM American Record

2018 SOUTHERN PREMIER MEET

• March 2nd-4th 2018
• Nashville Aquatic Club, Nashville, Tennessee
• 25y (SCY) course
• Live results

Dynamo Swim Club’s Vica Beelner became (likely) the first female American SM5 swimmer to race a sanctioned SCY 400IM last Friday night, thus setting a new American record in 9:50.44.

She split 1:09.29/1:20.55 (2:29.85) / 1:12.66/1:10.90 (2:23.56) / 1:21.44/1:23.23 (2:44.67) / 1:21.44/1:23.23 (2:12.37).

Beelner, 16, is classified as a person of “short stature.” Women in the classification must be less than or equal to 49 inches tall, with arms equal to or less than 22 inches long. Her other best times include (all SCY): a 5:45.66 200 IM, 58.02 50 free, 1:00.53 100 free, 2:10.70 200 free, 1:04.56 100 back, 2:34.65 100 breast, 2:46.78 200 breast, 1:09.97 100 fly, and a 2:51.90 200 fly.

An additional fun fact: at age 12, she competed at the 2013 World Dwarf Games in both swimming and table tennis.

As of February 2018, according to USA Swimming, no American woman had swum the race (or if they had, they didn’t apply for an American record). 8-time Olympic medalist Roy Perkins Jr. owns the men’s SM5 record, which is 6:15.63.

An American record exists in only one class more severe than Beelner’s: Jonathan Heider owns the men’s SM3 record with a 12:50.83.