East German Sets Record in Swim Championships

East German world record holder Silke Hoerner set a U.S. Open record and won her third gold medal in as many races with a victory Sunday in the 200-meter breaststroke on the last day of the U.S. Open international swim meet.

Hoerner, a 20-year-old student who set the world record in the 200 breastroke earlier this year, broke the 1983 U.S. Open record of 3:29.91 set by Japan’s Hiroko Nagasaki. Hoerner’s winning time was 2:29.92.

She also won the 100 breastroke Friday and swam the breastroke leg on East Germany’s winning 400-meter medley relay.

UCLA teammates Tom Jager and Craig Oppel touched the wall at the same instant to score an unusual tie in the 100-meter freestyle in 50.36. World record holder Matt Biondi of the U.S. national team was third in 50.61.

Another world record holder, U.S. national team member Mary T. Meagher, easily outdistanced the field to win the 200-meter butterfly in 2:08.75. Meagher finished four seconds ahead of runnerup Kornelia Gressler of East Germany.