Ryan Murphy Breaks Meet Record, Nears Personal Best in 200 Back Prelim

2018 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 9 – Tuesday, August 14, 2018
• Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Tokyo, Japan
• Meet site
• Psych Sheet
• Start Lists
• Meet Results

American Ryan Murphy roared to the top seed in the men’s 200 backstroke on Sunday morning in Tokyo, and in addition to beating the field by a second-and-a-half, he slid under the Championship Record in the event. His 1:54.07 broke the old record of 1:54.12 done by Ryan Lochte at the 2010 edition. Lochte would go on to win the World Championship the next year and take bronze at the 2012 Olympics the year after that.

The swim is also the 3rd-best of Murphy’s career, behind only the 1:53.62 that he did to win gold at the 2016 Olympic Games, and the 1:53.95 that he swam to qualify for that team.

Murphy has been a standout performer for the American team at this meet. He also broke the Championship Record in the 100 back, swimming a 51.94, which is the 2nd-best time of his career and within a tenth of his World Record.

Murphy will have two swims in finals on Sunday, as he’s also expected to lead off the men’s 400 medley relay.

The Cal men’s professional group bookended the session with Meet Records; Murphy’s teammate Josh Prenot also took out a Meet Record, his coming in the 200 breast, in 2:08.02.