Jack Alexy Shatters 100m Freestyle World Record at Short Course Trials
The Olympic swimmer touched the wall in 44.64 seconds, breaking the previous mark.
Jack Alexy, a standout for Team USA and a representative in the 2024 Paris Olympics, set a new world record in the men's 100-meter freestyle on Saturday. Competing for the California Golden Bears at the USA Swimming Short Course World Championship Trials in Westmont, Illinois, Alexy finished the race in 44.64 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 44.84 seconds.
Alexy had previously come close to the world record, winning his first individual gold medal at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest in December 2024 with a time of 45.38 seconds. He was also part of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team at the Paris Olympics, securing a gold medal. During that event, he posted a lead-off time of 45.05 seconds, which set both an American and world championship record.
At the recent trials, Chris Guiliano of the University of Notre Dame, also an Olympian and a member of Alexy's Olympic relay squad, finished second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.22 seconds. Caeleb Dressel took third place at 45.65 seconds.
This record-breaking performance comes four weeks after Egor Kornev of Russia had equaled the short-course world record in the 100-meter freestyle.
"That felt pretty good," Alexy stated after the race, according to Swimming World Magazine. "The goal was to qualify for the 50 and 100 individually. I was pretty confident I could get that done after this morning. I tried to ride the adrenaline of the crowd."
Alexy expressed that racing against a strong U.S. field at a selection meet adds a beneficial level of pressure. He is now looking ahead to the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing from December 1 to 6, hoping to swim even faster.