STOCKHOLM, Sweden — After missing out on the Beijing Olympics, Peter Marshall planned to swim a few more meets, then call it a career. He might want to reconsider.
With little training, the 26-year- old American set a short-course world record Tuesday in the 100-meter backstroke at a World Cup meet. He touched in 49.94 seconds, breaking Ryan Lochte’s record of 49.99 set two years ago.
“I really had no clue this was going to happen,” Marshall said. “I had not been close to that time in four years.”
Marshall set a world record in the same event in 2004 but was denied a spot on the Athens Olympic team by a mere four-hundredths of a second. He returned for this year’s trials in Omaha but failed to make the 100 back final.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Marshall said. “If I can go that fast without training, why retire?”
South African Cameron van der Burgh also set a world record, bettering his own 50-meter breaststroke mark with a time of 25.94.
Leparoux ties Day’s record day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jockey Julien Leparoux tied Hall of Famer Pat Day’s track record with seven victories at Churchill Downs.
The 25-year-old Frenchman won his first seven races before coming up just short in his final two mounts. Day set the record by winning seven races in eight mounts on June 20, 1984.
“Three years ago I was an apprentice and I would have been happy if I won 15 races a year,” Leparoux said.
Hinrich out after thumb surgery
LOWERCASE — Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and could be out three months.
• Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey will rejoin the team today after missing the first game of a West Coast road trip to undergo tests for being light-headed and dizzy.
• Mavericks forward Josh Howard is day to day with a sprained left wrist suffered during Friday’s loss to the Nuggets.
Price leads Champions Tour team
HENDERSON, Nev. — Nick Price shot a 7-under-par 65 to lead the Champions Tour team to two nine-hole tournament victories at the 17th annual Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge.
The Champions team — Price, Jay Haas and Fred Funk — won $200,000 for carding an 11-under total over the first nine holes compared with 8-under for the PGA threesome of Kenny Perry, Stewart Cink and Rocco Mediate and 1-over for the LPGA team of Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr and Helen Alfredsson.
The PGA and LPGA squads each earned $100,000.
Footnotes.
Landon Donovan, who led Major League Soccer this season with 20 league goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, was voted U.S. player of the year for a record fifth time. Sigi Schmid of the Columbus Crew was named the league’s coach of the year.
• Marcel Granollers will replace the injured Rafael Nadal when Spain plays Argentina in the Davis Cup final Nov. 21-23.
The Associated Press
