American Armstrong sets swimming world record in 50 back

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — American Hunter Armstrong has set a swimming world record in the men’s 50-meter backstroke. Armstrong posted a time of 23.71 seconds in the non-Olympic event at the International Team Trials at Greensboro, North Carolina. The meet is selecting the U.S. team that will compete at this summer’s world championships in Budapest, Hungary. The 21-year-old Armstrong won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics by swimming the backstroke leg in the prelims of the 4×100 medley relay. Still, he was stunned by his time in the 50 back. The Ohio State swimmer eclipsed the mark of 23.80 set by Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov in 2021.