Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom has broken another World Record in Doha, Qatar, marking the 4th in 7 events on the final day of the 2014 World Short Course Championships.
Sjostrom swam to an incredible 54.61, which broke the 55.05 done by France’s Diana Bui Duyet at the 2009 European Championships in Istanbul.
Initially, it seemed as though Sjostrom would be well off of this record. She was half-a-second behind the pace after 50 meters (and in fact was only in 2nd place). Normally, that spells doom as compared to a polyurethane-suited record, because one of the telltale signs of that era from 2008-2009 was less fatigue at the end of races.
Sjostrom crushed the soul of those expectations though, and raced home to a new mark, also breaking her Championship Record of 55.13 from prelims.
The comparative splits:
- Bui Duyet 2009 – 25.49/29.56 = 55.05
- Sjostrom prelims – 26.12/29.01 = 55.13
- Sjostrom finals – 25.96/28.65 = 54.61