53.92 seconds: Claire Curzan just became the first woman ever to swim the 100 backstroke in under 54

At the Team USA Short Course World Championship Trials in Westmont, Illinois, on Friday night, University of Virginia fourth-year Claire Curzan won the 100-metre backstroke in 53.92 seconds — the first woman in history under 54 seconds for the event in a short-course pool. The swim broke Regan Smith's 2024 world record of 54.02, is the first world record of Curzan's career, and books her place on Team USA for December's World Short Course Championships in Beijing. Virginia swimmers now hold 19 current world records between them.