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The pools are faster, the suits are faster and world swimming records are falling faster. South Africa's Penny Heyns and Australia's Ian Thorpe highlighted a year in which world records were set in 25 long and short course events. Heyns won gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke. But 1999 proved to be an even more successful year for the 24-year-old. Heyns broke nine world records in a seven-week stretch from late July to early August. She set long course records in the 50-meter breaststroke (30.83 seconds), 100 breaststroke, (1:06.52) 200 breaststroke (2:23:64) and a short course record in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.57).
While Heyns has been a figure on the international scene for a few years, Thorpe surprised the world by breaking three individual world records in 1999. In April, the 17-year-old with the famous size 17 feet broke the short course record in the 200-meter freestyle. Then in August at the Pan Pacs in Sydney, Thorpe broke the 400-meter freestyle world record (3:41.83), the 200-meter record twice (1:46) and was part of the record-breaking 4x200 freestyle relay team. In a sport where male swimmers peak in their mid-20s, Thorpe is the swimmer of the present and future.
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