Van Mathias Breaks World Record in 100 Breaststroke
By day, Van Mathias is the Director of Operations for Indiana University swimming, where the American starred during his collegiate days. The 26-year-old Mathias can also call himself a world-record holder after his exploits on Thursday night, as he ripped a world record on Night Two of the United States World Short Course Championships Trials at FMC Natatorium in Westmont, Illinois.
Coming off an American record of 55.48 during the morning prelims, Mathias popped a world record of 55.14 in the final, an effort that sliced .14 off the previous global standard of Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich, set in 2021. Mathias was under world-record pace by .09 at the midway point of the race, as he split 25.76 for the opening 50 meters. He covered his final two laps in 29.38 to comfortably better the world mark.
“We just wanted to come back faster on the second 50 tonight. Some of the details were still a little sloppy. I got caught up in the atmosphere of racing. I think there is more to clean up, but I am really happy with that swim,” Mathias said.
Just a few years ago, Mathias was done with swimming from a competitive perspective, having enjoyed a strong career at Indiana University. Eventually, he decided to return to training and also took on the position of Director of Ops for the Hoosiers and head coach Ray Looze. Both roles have required Mathias to balance his time, and he has clearly handled the demands with aplomb, making himself a gold-medal contender for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Mathias has adopted a quality over quantity approach to his training. While he doesn’t log significant yardage during training, the work he puts in is first-rate, and is complemented by a demanding weightlifting program. The results achieved by Mathias have been nothing short of phenomenal, his world record in the short-course pool preceded in the summer by American records in the long-course versions of the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke.
With LA28 less than two years away, Mathias has established himself as a man to beat in both the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke. Over the summer, he nearly joined the 57-second club in the long-course 100 breaststroke and with a world record in the 25-meter pool, it seems the Indiana man – who features a trademark mustache – is getting better with each passing month.
