Courtesy: Donna Fanpage
On Saturday, the 16-year-old broke the overall world record in the event during the semi-final competition at the European Championships in Budapest. Pilato’s time of 29.30 inside the Duna Arena was a tenth of a second faster than American Lilly King’s time of 29.40 at the 2017 World Championships.
Pilato had a busy day after being demoted to spectator status for the semifinals and finals of the 100 breaststroke earlier in the week. Despite having the fourth-fastest time in prelims in the 100 breast, Pilato was beaten by countrywomen Arianna Castiglioni and Martina Carraro, and the two-per-country rule kept Pilato from competing in the event.
Perhaps that circumstance spurred her performance in the 50m breaststroke, as she opened the event with a prelims time of 29.50. That swim also signaled that an attempt on the world record was on the way. The question now is whether Pilato will lower the bar even farther in Sunday’s final.
Pilato won global silver in the event behind King when she was 14 in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019. The 50m breaststroke, unlike the backstroke and butterfly over the same distance, is not an Olympic event.
“Oh, I’m really happy,” Pilato said. “I didn’t think I could make this now. I thought I might break the European record but definitely not the world record. Well, Lilly King set that time in this pool so this is the right place to better it.”
However, in an effort to dampen expectations, she added: “No, I’m not the (Olympic champion) Adam Peaty of the women’s breaststroke.”
NEW WORLD RECORD!
During the Euro Champs, 16-year-old Benedetta Pilato set a new world record in the women’s 50 breast with an astonishing 29.30 during the semifinals. She was 0.10sec faster than Lilly King’s previous standard from 2017. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/y39xwwIPLJ— Swimming Stats (@SwimmingStats) May 22, 2021