Australian Masters Teammates Go On World Record Breaking Spree

Four teammates on Melbourne’s Powerpoints Master Swim Team have spent the spring tearing up the masters’ world record book. The quartet of Jennie Bucknell, Gillian O’Mara, Lachlan McDowell, and Mark Thompson have combined for four new world records, two relay and two individual.

The squad took down their first world record in March, at the Powerpoints’ Summer Smash meet. They swam a 8:55.03 in the long-course 4×200 freestyle relay, breaking the mixed 200-239 world record (master’s relay age groups are the sum of the swimmers’ ages). That cut a whopping 20 seconds off the previous record, which the Conejo Valley Masters set at 9:15.06 in 2018.

Powerpoints’ Mixed 4×200 Free Relay World Record Splits

The same team set another long-course mixed relay world record in May, at the Victorian Masters’ Swimming LCM Relay Meet. The fact that one of their team members was just back in the water after surgery didn’t stop them from taking down the 4×100 freestyle relay mixed 200-239 world record by almost five seconds.

Leading off with Bucknell (1:02.59) this time, the team swam 3:57.74, bringing the record under 4 minutes for the first time. The previous world record was held by the Illinois Masters at 4:02.62, set in 2015. Bucknell handed things over to McDowell, who split 55.69. O’Mara, followed in 1:04.24 and Thompson anchored in 55.22, securing the victory and the record.

Bucknell, 57, also set two individual world records this spring. After coming close to the 55-59 sprint freestyle records earlier in the year, Bucknell broke both the 50 and 100 free records at the Masters’ Swimming Australia National Championships.

She actually broke the age group’s 50 free world record twice. First, she led off the mixed 4×50 free relay with a 28.24, getting under Edith Ottermann‘s standard by a hundredth. Later in the meet, she lowered the mark again with a 27.94 leading off the women’s 4×50 free relay. In total, she lowered the world record by .31 seconds.

She broke her third individual world record of the meet in the 100 free. Bucknell ripped 1:01.87 (29.78/32.09) to lower the world record of 1:02.02 that Laura Val set in 2008.

The quartet’s ages–Bucknell 57, O’Mara 47, McDowell 45, and Thompson 54–add up to 203, giving them plenty more opportunities to take a run at other world records in the 200-239 age group.