San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Cal’s Baker sets world record at nationals
IRVINE — Cal swimmer Kathleen Baker set a world record in the 100meter backstroke Saturday night in the U.S. national championships.
The 21-year-old Olympian won in 58.00 seconds, lowering the mark of 58.10 set by Kylie Masse of Canada at last year’s world championships in Hungary. Baker finished second to Masse in Budapest.
“I’m sort of on cloud nine right now,” said Baker, known for keeping her goal times in her cell phone as a reminder.
“Right now it’s a 58.10 and I just broke that so I’m going to put 57.99,” she said, laughing.
Baker also took possession of the American record, bettering the time of 58.33 set by Cal alum Missy Franklin in 2012. Franklin didn’t enter the backstroke events at nationals after having surgery on both shoulders 1½ years ago.
Olivia Smoliga was second in 58.75 and 16year-old Regan Smith took third in 58.83.
Baker completed a sweep of the backstroke events in Irvine, having tied Smith for the 200 title. As a result, Baker and Smith earned spots on the U.S. team for next month’s Pan Pacific championships in Japan and next year’s world championships.
Baker earned a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the 100 back.
Stanford’s Katie Ledecky dominated the 400 freestyle, leading all the way to win by 3.12 seconds for her third victory of the meet.
She earned her 16th national long-course title, tying Cal alum Natalie Coughlin for seventh on the career list. Ledecky was under world-record pace through 250 meters with the crowd cheering loudly before she dropped off and finished in 3 minutes, 59.09 seconds. It was the 10th-fastest swim ever in the event, with Ledecky owning the other nine best times. Baker was warming up for her race when Ledecky was swimming her race.
“I said, ‘Kathleen, I think what the crowd needs tonight is a world record,’ and she said, ‘Yeah,’ ” her coach David Marsh said. Olympian Leah Smith gave chase to Ledecky the entire race and touched second in 4:02.21. Another Olympian, Haley Anderson, was third.
Ledecky also won the 200 and 800 freestyles. Michael Andrew, who turned pro five years ago at 14, won the 100 breaststroke. He rallied from fourth to first in 59.38 seconds, beating a field that included three Olympians.
The men’s 100 back was a duel of current and former Olympic champions. Cal alum Ryan Murphy, who swept the backstroke events in Rio, edged 2012 Olympic winner Matt Grevers, who at 33 is 10 years older. Murphy touched in 52.51 seconds and Grevers in 52.55. Olympic champion Lilly King won the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:05.36. Zane Grothe won the men’s 400 free.