Records Fall at International Swimming Meet in Irvine

Broken records were the rule on the second day of the Speedo International Grand Challenge Swimming Invitational Saturday at the Heritage Park Aquatic Complex.

Hope Gittings of Bolles-Shark Swim Club in Florida started the trend, setting the first of five meet records in the first event, winning the the 100-meter backstroke in 1 minute 6.18 seconds. Gittings broke Jessica Tong’s mark of 1:06.73 set in 1995.

Then Angie Wester-Krieg of Stanford, a silver medalist in the 1992 Olympics, broke her record in the 100 butterfly, winning in 1:03.91. Wester-Krieg, at 31 the oldest participant in the meet, also won the 200 freestyle in 2:06.42, out-touching Ventura Buena’s Kimberly Schneider.

Lenny Krayzelburg of the Trojan Swim Club set a meet record in the men’s 100 backstroke (57.52). Santa Barbara’s Mark Warkentin won the 200 free in a record 1:55.23.

Rafael Szukala of Rose Bowl Aquatics, a member of the Polish Olympic team and a 1992 silver medalist, won the 100 butterfly in 56.24, to break the final meet record.

Andy Potts of Eastern Express won in 400 individual medley in 4:34.66 and Shannon Cullen of Redlands won the women’s 400 IM in 4:58.87. Amanda Beard of the Irvine Novaquatics was second.

Notes

Goh Phuangthong, a senior at Laguna Hills High who trains with Shore Aquatic in Long Beach, is turning in some impressive times. Phuangthong, 18, who will swim for his native Thailand in the Olympics this summer, finished second in the 100-meter backstroke, a hundredth of a second behind NCAA 1996 finalist Lenny Krayzelburg of the Trojan Swim Club.

It was a young kids’ game in the 400 individual medley, with winner Shannon Cullen of Redlands, 15, and second-place Amanda Beard, 14, of the Irvine Novaquatics. Marisa Watts, 19, of San Jose, finished fourth.