U.S. swimmer breaks 50 sec 100m barrier

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 14

U.S. swimmer breaks 50 sec 100m barrier

By

GRAEME JENKINS

NZPA staff correspondent Montreal The 21-year-old, 6ft 3in American student, Jim Montgomery, became the first swimmer to break the 50 second barrier for 100 metres freestyle at the final swimming session of the Olympics yesterday. It was an amazing swim, in which Montgomery knocked 0.40 of a second from his own world record. His new time is 49.995ec. Montgomery, who had won two relay golds earlier in the programme, led all the way but did not have too much to spare from a fast-finishing fellow American, Jack Babashoff, brother of Shirley, who took the silver medal in 50.81 seconds; A West German swimmer, Peter Nocke, took the bronze medal. Montgomery clipped out the first 50 metres of his swim in an amazing 24.-14 seconds.

At the end of the night the tally of world records set during the 14 sessions of the games was 26. Every Olympic record — bar one —was broken.

The only remaining record from Munich was Mark Spitz’ 100 metres butterfly time of 54.27, which also is the world record. The American men

finished with a total of 12 golds, 10 silver and five bronze. The only gold medal they did not win went to Great Britain’s David Wilkie. In the women’s section the East Germans won 11 golds, five silver and one bronze. America and Russia each won one gold medal. The American girls’ gold came in the very last race on the Olympic programme, the 4 x 100 metres freestyle relay. The crowd at the pool, always strongly pro-Canada and the United States, really erupted for the event. The East German girls, with Kornelia Ender as their first swimmer, were the prerace favourites and with only one swimmer to go it looked as if they would take yet another title. However, the American girls were not to be outdone and when Shirley Babashoff started the final 100 metres just a fraction ahead of the last East German swimmer, the roar started. It got louder and louder as it became apparent Miss Babashoff, swimming for her first gold medal of the Games, had the race sewn up. She touched to . give her team a win in a new world record of 3:44.52. It was only the second women’s gold medal to elude the East German team. The favouritism for Petra Thumer of East Germany for the final of the women’s 800 metres was fully justified when she swam home in a new world record time to take the gold medal. The sentimental favourite was Shirley Babashoff, who was trying for her first individual Olympic gold medal. ! She was the world record-1 holder but on the night just-j did not have enough left at i the end to edge out the young East German, It was a thrilling race with the two arch-rivals always in the lead With the strongly-partisan crowd screaming for Miss

Babashoff and another young American, 16-year-old Wendy Weinberg, Miss Babashoff i surged but was unable to catch the streaking East Geri man. Miss Weinberg finished i third. i Last to finish in the race was the 16-year-old AustraI lian, Jenny Turrell, who has . been out of touch throughout ) the Olympics. ! The world record-breaking spree continued with the , final of the men’s 400 metres ' individual medley. The winner, a 21-year-old American student, Rod Strachan, set a new time of 4:23.68, which shaved more than two seconds from the existing mark held by Zoltan i Verraszto, of Hungary. i New Zealand’s two swimmers in the medley, Mark i Treffers and John McConno- ' chie. failed to make the final ’ Both turned in disappointing > times. : East Germany’s Ulrike Richter won her third swim- 1 ming gold medal of the; ' Games when she took outj the final of the 200 m back-1 stroke in 2min 13.435ec. It I ' failed to crack the world; 1 record but it was still the best Olympic time. Two New Zealand girls i failed to qualify. 1 The closest to qualifying) ■ for the final was North i Shore’s Monique Rodahl. Following her appearance in the final of the gruelling 400 metres individual medley on Saturday night, she turned up fresh at the pool yesterday to swim a New Zealand record in her heat. Her new thne of 2min 19.225ec was not good enough to make the final, however and she fin-1 ished with a final placing of! I eleventh. Miss Rodahl’s previous' New Zealand record and (qualifying time for the Games I was 2min 21.5 sec. She finished third in her heat. I New Zealand’s other com-; petitor in the event. Susan! Hunter. of Christchurch, i finished seventh in the same. ; heat in 2min 26.1 sec. I