Britain’s Judy Brown took down the masters 55-59 200m back world record on the day she aged into the age group, the Warrington Guardian reported last week.
Brown, who turned 55 last Sunday, went 2:36.61 at the London Regional Masters Swimming Championships. The meet was held at the London Aquatics Centre, home to the Olympics seven years ago. She went head-to-head with former record holder Karlyn Pipes (USA), who is one of the most decorated swimmers in masters history, and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015. Pipes’ previous record was 2:37.77.
Pipes posted on Facebook congratulating Brown, who underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2015.
Brown had recently come within about a second of the record on multiple occasions, and said she wasn’t sure if she could break it. “Swimming against Karlyn added that extra pressure which seemed to bring out the best in me on the day,” she told the Warrington Guardian.
Congratulations, Judy. Well done to survive and thrive!
55 RULES!!!! CONGRADS!!! Don’t stop now your crushing it!!
2:36 is smoking! congrats!
Gee, I couldn’t swim that fast in backstroke or butterfly when I was a teenager. Breast cancer sucks.