Krayzelburg Sets Second World Record
August 27, 1999 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Aug. 27, 1999
USC graduate Lenny Krayzelburg has brought new meaning to the phrase back-to-back.
Competing at the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney, Australia, Krayzelburg broke his second world record of the meet, shattering the 200-meter backstroke mark with a time of 1:55.87 on Friday.
The defending world and U.S. champion in both backstroke events, Krayzelburg broke the world standard in the 100m back on Tuesday, lowering the mark by more than a quarter second.
Krayzelburg, however, outdid himself Friday, dropping Spaniard Martin Zubero's 1991 200m back time of 1:56.57 by seven-tenths of a second, becoming the first person ever to swim under 1:56.
"I was really relieved, more than anything," Krayzelburg said. "A lot of people have been talking about this record and this is my better event. The 100 I was happy with, but this was the event I felt a little pressure if I wasn't going to break the record. I'm so excited about the time, I'm ecstatic.
"Next year (at the Olympics), I don't think the time is really going to matter. My focus next year is really just going to be to come in here and win two gold medals.
"I know that there are going to be a lot of people trying to beat me next year. It's an Olympic year, an intense year and you never know what is going to happen. There are always surprises. This is going to be a tremendous motivation factor for me to train really hard, probably harder than I ever have."
Said USC and U.S. men's coach Mark Schubert: "I really thought at the 150 mark that he was going to skip 1:55 altogether," Schubert said. "He lost his stroke a little bit on the last 50 so I know there's a little room for improvement. But it was a great swim. It's not often that you see a world-class field get beat by four seconds."
Trojan Club and U.S. teammate Lindsay Benko, while not breaking any world marks, has had quite a meet herself and earned her first American record on Thursday in Sydney.
Entering Thursday's 4x200m freestyle relay, Benko had already won a gold medal as part of the 4x100m free relay and earned silver medals in the 200m (1:59.60) and 400m free (4:08.75).
She then led off for the U.S. team in the 4x200m relay and recorded a 1:58.86, setting a personal record and giving the Americans a head start en route to the U.S. record of 7:57.61. Benko's split was the third fastest all-time American performance. Only former Trojan Sippy Woodhead and Nicole Haislett have been faster.
"I learned so much from my race last night (in the 200m free)," Benko said. "I tried to take it out smoother and build it a little better and I did a much better time. I knew I could do it, I just had to learn from last night.
"It's so fun swimming on a USA relay. Just being a part of a team, and doing something for a team is such a great experience and now being part of an American record. It's pretty awesome."
Krayzelburg and Benko both have opportunities for encores. Benko will compete in the finals of the 200m back on Saturday and Krayzelburg will lead off the U.S. team's 4x100m medley relay on Sunday, getting his first shot at breaking the 100-meter back world record he just set.
