OWN CORRESPONDENT, Brisbane | Monday 6.30pm.
FORMER world record holder Samantha Riley says South African Penny Heyns’ world breaststroke records in the United States at the weekend will motivate her rivals.
Heyns broke Australian Rebecca Brown’s six-year-old 200m mark of 2:24,76 with 2:24,51 in Los Angeles, and did the same to her own 100m record of 1:07,02, set while winning gold in Atlanta, with 1:06,95.
The 25-year-old Canadian-based South African broke both records twice – in the heats and final. Heyns now holds world records for the 50m, 100m and 200m – the first swimmer in history to hold all three world marks simultaneously.
Riley, working her way back from a shoulder injury and unlikely to be 100% for next month’s Pan Pacific championships in Sydney, suggested Heyns will have motivated her rivals to perform at a higher level at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. “You can get psyched out by it (Heyns’ times) or you can use it to get pumped up,” the Australian said.
The 100m and 200m breaststroke at the Pan Pacs looms as the highlight of the meet. Heyns will be a hot favourite to win both events but she will have to beat Japan’s world shortcourse 200m record holder Masami Tamaka and Americans Kristy Kowal and Jenna Street, who took gold and silver at last year’s World Championships.
“I’ve missed several weeks of aerobic work and I’m running out of time, but I should still swim fast,” said Riley of her looming re-match with Heyns.–AFP