June 25

Today, we're just a year shy of the 60th anniversary of the first World record set by Mark Spitz. The American's rapid rise to great promise on the way to his Olympic debut at Mexico City 1968 included his move up to the pioneering-pace league of elite swimmers. It unfolded at a relatively minor meet in Haywood over a distance that spoke the development work that would feed into a record seven Olympic golds at Munich 1972 four years after a challenging but ultimately fruitful experience at altitude in Mexico.

Here's the record and two others set this day in history:

Spitz's profile for the SOS Hall of Fame on its way... along with profiles on Moffet, Steffen and many more as we build our Hall.

June 24

June 23

The 40th Birthday Of Moment Morales Took 100 'Fly Below 53sec

Olympic Day is one of those dates on which very few international swimming records have been set. In the long-course pool, however, here's a big one from this day 40 years ago:

Pablo Morales' 52.84 world record in the 100m butterfly from June 23, 1986, was the first sub-53sec in history and stood for nine years. Consider its might: to this day, almost three quarters of all national records in the event around the world among more than 200 countries registered as members of World Aquatics remain slower than Morales at his best 40 years ago.

Morales first held the global standard at 53.38, a time he clocked at US Olympic Trials in June 1984. At a home Games in Los Angeles, Morales went faster: 53.23 ... but that was second-0best that day, Germany's Michael "The Albatross" Gross taking gold in a World record of 53.08.

There the mark stayed until Morales' 52.84 on June 23, 1986 at Nationals in Orlando. And there that marked stayed until a 52.32 from Russian Denis Pankratov on 23 August 1995 for gold at the European Championships in Vienna. That was quite some moment to witness - but by the time it unfolded, Morales had retired, his story of Olympic redemption part of Games and swimming lore.

Morales approached the 1984 Games with 11 college titles, which back then made him the “winningest swimmer in NCAA history”, as they say in the USA. He emerged from LA1984 with silver in the 100 'fly and the 200IM and a gold as a member of the USA's medley relay.

At rials for Seoul 1988, the World record holder finished third. There's a reason they called those trials 'sudden death'. Under the two-per-nation rule, there would be no Games of '88 for Morales.

So, he took a break, but the water would not let him go, and Morales hit the comeback trail on the way to Barcelona 1992. It would prover to be one of the greatest comebacks ever in swimming. He'd spent well over two years out of the sport. But at '92 trials, he made the cut. Would the Olympic podium eight years on from silver behind Gross would be a stroke too far?

No! Morales took the crown in 53.32, 0.03sec ahead of a national record from Poland's Rafał Szukała, with defending champion and the first black Olympic swim champion in history, Anthony Nesty, third in 53.41.

If that was moving, there was more emotion to come from Morales post-race as he spoke of what hads motivated him to make a comeback and strive for gold.

Morales' mother, Blanca, who had signed him up for swimming lessons when he was young so her son would be water safe, passed away some time after he had missed the cut for Seoul 1988. His tribute to her would be to give the 100 'fly, in which he remained World record holder, one last shot.

He returned to the pool at Stanford University just weeks after her death to begin training for the Olympic trials. At 27 in Barcelona, he claimed gold and looked up to the place in the stands where his father, Pedro had sat openly holding a picture of his late wife and Pablo's mother in her honour.  His Cuban-born parents, were there with Pablo every stroke of the way.

At those same Games, her son claimed a second gold, once more as a member of the USA medley relay, He also won a second gold with the U.S. medley team.

Morales, who grew up in San Jose and attended Bellarmine Preparatory High School, where he trained in the pool under the supervision of Larry Rogers. Later, was coached by one of the most successful college coaches in history, Skip Kenny at Stanford. Morales had a second alma mater, as a graduate of Cornell Law School.

Morales, a co-founder of FINIS the kit maker, with John Mix, remains the head coach at University of Nebraska swimming and diving team, after having held the same position at San Jose State from 1998 to July 2001.

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