Evans Breaks U.S. Record in 1,650-Yard Freestyle

Janet Evans of Placentia, winner of three gold medals in swimming in the Seoul Olympics, broke the U.S. record for the 1,650-yard freestyle in a qualifying meet at Long Beach Monday.

Evans’ time of 15 minutes 44.98 seconds broke a 6-year-old record set by Tiffany Cohen, according to Raymond Gould, spokesman for Southern California Swimming, a subsidiary of United States Swimming. Cohen was clocked at 15:46.54 on April 9, 1983.

Evans set the record at the Belmont Plaza pool while qualifying for one of 48 spots on a Southern California team in a meet that also includes swimmers from Florida and Canada. That meet will be held at Belmont Plaza this weekend.

In the Olympics, Evans won gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle and 400-meter individual medley.