2016 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 6th – December 11th, 2016
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- WFCU Centre
- SCM (25m)
- Prelims: 9:30 AM EST/Finals: 6:30 PM EST
- Start Lists/Results
- Live Stream ($)
The American team of Ali DeLoof, Lilly King, Kelsi Worrell, and Katrina Konopka started off night two of the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships right by destroying the 200 medley relay world record with a 1:43.27. That performance is the fastest-ever textile swim in history.
The previous record was a 1:44.04 set by the Danish team of Mie Nielsen, Rikke Pedersen, Jeanette Ottesen, and Pernille Blume at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Doha in 2014. The record also out-swam the American record 1:44.92 set by Felicia Lee, Emma Reaney, Claire Donahue, and Natalie Coughlin at the same meet by over a second and a half.
It’s worth noting (as pointed out by commenter “Tea Rex”) that the Dutch team of Hinkelien Schreuder, Moniek Nijhuis, Inge Dekker, and Ranomi Kromowidjojo swam an even faster 1:42.69 at the European Short Course Championships back in 2009. That swim was propelled by a monster 22.70 anchor split from Olympic gold medalist Kromowidjojo. So, though tonight’s American swim was the world record, it is not the fastest swim in history.
| Swim | Back | Breast | Fly | Free (Total) |
| Previous WR Denmark 2014 | Nielsen: 26.39 | Pedersen: 29.56 | Ottesen: 24.09 | Blume: 24.00 (1:44.04) |
| Previous AR USA 2014 | Lee: 26.37 | Reaney: 29.42 | Donahue: 25.33 | Coughlin: 23.80 (1:44.92) |
| New WR/AR USA 2016 | DeLoof: 26.12 | King: 28.78 | Worrell: 24.44 | Konopka: 23.93 (1:43.27) |
| NED 2009 Euros (Before 200 med was recognized event) | Schreuder: 26.32 | Nijhuis: 29.16 | Dekker: 24.51 | Kromowidjojo: 22.70 (1:42.69) |
DeLoof gave tonight’s world record team a strong lead from the very beginning with an American record 26.12 to lead off the relay. This was a particularly huge swim for the Michigan standout and for Konopka of Arizona; both are representing the U.S. for the first time in world-level competition.
Second place went to Italy with 1:45.38 and third to Denmark with 1:45.98.
Worrell followed up the record just minutes later with a silver-medal, American record performance in the 200 fly.
Congrats to the American girls. Huge experience for DeLoof and Konopka who swim in their first US team at that level.
Konopka is from U of A not ASU.
Posted this on the other thread, but while the USA has the official WR, the Netherlands were faster at Euros 2009 (before the 200 MR was a recognized WR event).
Kromo was the big difference maker:
NED Netherlands
SCHREUDER Hinkelien 0.62 26.32 (2) 26.32 1:42.69 WR
NIJHUIS Moniek 0.34 29.16 (2) 55.48
DEKKER Inge 0.39 24.51 (1) 1:19.99
KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi 0.17 22.70 (1) 1:42.69
Why was this swim not recognized as the WR?
FINA did not recognize 4×50 relays as competition events until a couple years ago. When they did recognize the short relays, they did not go back in time to recognize any WRs.
Similar to why Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps do not have any world junior records – junior WRs were not recorded in the early 00s.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
Also, I think swimmers need to get doping tests immediately after a swim if it is to be ratified a WR. If the 4×50 MR was not a WR event in 2009, the Dutch probably did not all go through the appropriate testing after the race.