Ruta Meilutyte Swims 28.37 50 Breast To Break Her First World Record Since 2013

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Ruta Meilutyte‘s comeback story just gets better and better.

After flirting with the 50 breast world record multiple times at the 2022 FINA World Cup stops, where she went 28.60, 28.96 and 28.70 in Berlin, Toronto and Indianapolis respectively, Meilutyte finally got the job done in the semi-finals at the 2022 Short Course World Championships, swimming a 28.37 to take down Alia Atkinson‘s world record time of 28.56 from 2018.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 50 Breast (SCM)

1. Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania — 28.37 (2022)
2. Alia Atkinson, Jamaica — 28.56 (2018)
3. Lilly King, United States — 28.77 (2020)
4. Jessica Hardy, United States — 28.80 (2009)
5. Benedetta Pilato, Italy — 28.81 (2020)

This world record marked Meilutyte’s first world record since 2013, when she was just 17 years old. That year, she took down world records in the long course 50 and 100 breast, as well as the short course 100 breast. Now 25, Meilutyte is just over a year removed from when she first came out of a 2-year retirement from swimming, and now she’s just as fast (and potentially even faster) as she was when she first reached international stardom as a teenager.

Meilutyte’s world record in the 50 breast was a bit of a redemption swim for her, as just two days ago, she had touched second in the 100 breast final but got DQed for dolphin kicking. If she pulls through and wins during the 50 breast finals tomorrow, she would win her first short course world title in 2014 and complete a perfect sweep of the event in 2022—as she won the long course 50 breast world and European titles this year as well.