James Wilby Ties VDB As 3rd Fastest 100 Breast Performer All-Time

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
• Meet site
• Competition Schedule
• FinaTV Live Stream
• Entry Lists
• Results

On night 2 of the 2019 FINA World Championships, Olympic Champion Adam Peaty led a 1-2 British punch in the men’s 100m breaststroke. Peaty had already nailed a new World Record of 56.88 in last night’s semi-finals and came in with another historic performance tonight to take gold in 57.14.

Not to be lost was teammate James Wilby‘s groundbreaking performance for silver, as the Commonwealth Games gold medalist powered his way to the wall in a mark of 58.46. That not only checks-in as Wilby’s fastest ever, but it now sits among the all-time top performers in history at #3, tying South African Olympic Champion Cameron van der Burgh (now retired).

Entering this meet, Wilby’s personal best rested at the 58.64 notched at the 2018 European Championships. He was just slightly under that mark at this year’s British Championships, where he secured 58.66 for silver behind Peaty, qualifying for these Championships.

Wilby, who has now been under 59 seconds 6 times in all, was 59.15 here in the heats, then 58.83 in the semi’s, until ultimately resting at a mighty 58.46 to insert himself into the conversation for medal contenders come Tokyo next summer.