Once-Retired Ruta Meilutyte Equals 50 Breast World Record

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
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We already saw one World Record bite the dust, courtesy of Sarah Sjostrom in the women’s 50m free and now Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania joined the party.

Cementing her comeback queen status, once-retired Meilutyte crushed a time of 29.30 to take the top seed out of the women’s 50m breaststroke semi-finals. That time equals the current World Record and European Record time that Italy’s Benedetta Pilato put on the books at the 2021 European Championships.

26-year-old Meilutyte’s previous personal best entering these Championships rested at the 29.44 she logged at last year’s European Championships. That time also came in the semi-finals at that competition, with Meilutyte ultimately claiming the gold there in Rome in 29.59.

Meiltutyte will meet Pilato in the final, with the Italian punching a semi-time of 30.09 to claim the 4th seed.

The Lithuanian has already claimed one gold medal here in Fukuoka, topping the 100m breaststroke podium in a time of 1:04.62, a result which beat the next-closest swimmer by over a second.

This LCM 50 breast represents Meilutyte’s third World Record. She owns the SCM 50 breast mark in 28.37 from last year’s Short Course World Championships and also is the fastest short course 100 breast performer with the 1:02.36 she put up at the 2013 World Cup.