Hunter Armstrong breaks world record at swimming trials

U.S. Olympian Hunter Armstrong broke the world record in the 50m backstroke at the world championships trials in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday night.

Armstrong, who tied for ninth in the 100m back in Tokyo, clocked 23.71 seconds, taking nine hundredths off Russian Kliment Kolesnikov‘s record from last year in an event that’s not on the Olympic program.

It marked the first men’s world record broken at a U.S. trials meet since the super-suit era in 2009 (Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol).

U.S. SWIMMING TRIALS: Results | Broadcast Schedule

“It’s a complete shock,” said Armstrong, an Ohio State junior whose personal best before Thursday was 25.45 in the rarely contested event. “It’s something I’ve always wanted. I’m over the moon.”

Armstrong was one of the surprise Olympic qualifiers last year. He was 13th at the March 2021 NCAA Championships, then at Olympic Trials lowered his 100m back personal best by 1.21 seconds to make the team. He was .73 slower in the Olympic semifinals to miss the final by one hundredth.

The world record marked validation.

“Show that making the Olympics wasn’t a mistake,” said Armstrong, who is 6 feet, 7 inches, with size 16 shoes and a left bicep tattoo that reads “Invictus maneo,” which translates to “I remain unvanquished.” “That was my biggest worry going into this meet is I had to prove to myself and to others that I deserved to be on that team. And hopefully I’m able to back this up at worlds.”

In other events Thursday, Caeleb Dressel won for the third time in as many races, taking the 100m butterfly in 50.20 seconds after posting the fastest time in the world this year in the morning prelims. Dressel has one event left, Saturday’s 50m freestyle, to set up a potential slate of eight events,