The 10th Pan Pacific Swimming Championship is over. The highlight was the number of world records broken - six which is huge considering the number of swimmers missing the event.

The biggest star of the meet was Michael Phelps who makes a statement of sorts and sets up things for next year’s World Championships and then the Beijing Olympics nicely where swimming is concerned.

SI has more:

In Victoria, he lowered his world marks in the 200-meter individual medley and 200 butterfly, and led off the world record-setting 400 freestyle relay.

“It’s pretty much the first meet where I have been happy coming off of last summer,” he said.

The way records have been broken in swimming in the last couple of years has been astounding. With many more young stars coming through, the records will keep tumbling, possibly even faster in the next couple of years. A few young guns from Times Colonist:

Emerging American star Cullen Jones, who reportedly signed an endorsement deal with Nike potentially worth $2 million, won the men’s 50-metres freestyle in a meet record 21.84 seconds …

… Tae Hwan Park, the 16-year-old Korean high school sensation, won his second gold medal of the meet — the first two golds ever won by Korea at a major international swim meet. Park took the men’s 1,500 metres in 15:06.11 while 17-year-old Ryan Cochrane of Victoria, who graduated last spring from Claremont Secondary, turned in a solid showing by placing fourth in 15:13.44.

Cullen Jones is already being called the Tiger Woods of swimming and though that may be an exaggeration, the younger brigade cannot be ignored.

As far as the medal tally goes, US was the handsome winner. However, Australia wasn’t in full force for the event but do not forget China who finished number seven and had measly two medals to show for their participation was very weak as well.

The stage for some tough battles in the pool has been set.

How old were you when you accomplished some thing news worthy? How old are you while you still haven’t accomplished some thing news worthy?

Braxton Bilbrey is just 7.

In the Commonwealth Games trials, Jones bettered her 200 metre breast stroke mark a few months ago. This time she breaks her mark in the 100 metre breast stroke at the Commonwealth Games. CNN reports:

Jones set the first world record of the Games, shattering her previous mark by 0.62 seconds in the 100m breaststroke to clock one minute 05.09 seconds.

Who said breaking records and setting new standards was difficult?

The Aussie swimmer improves on her own world record becoming the third world record in the Australian Commonwealth Games trials.

Reports CNN:

Jones recorded a time of two minutes 20.54 seconds, fully 1.18 seconds faster than her previous record set at the 2005 world championships in Montreal, Canada. Libby Lenton set a women’s 100 meters freestyle world record of 53.42 seconds on Tuesday, wiping 0.10 seconds off the previous world record set by compatriot Jodie Henry at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Jade Edmistone lowered her 50m breaststroke world record to 30.31 seconds in Monday’s heats.