Susie O'Neill breaks world record in Japan

Nova 106.9 co-host and former Olympian Susie O’Neill has broken the world record at her swim meet in Japan. 

Racing at the World Aquatics Masters Championships late yesterday afternoon, Susie sailed home to win her race with a time of 29.08 – setting the new women’s 50-54 individual 50m butterfly world record. 

In her first international competition race since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Susie beat American Erika Braun’s record that was set last October. 

During the post-race interview, Susie said she was so nervous before the race she couldn’t put her goggles on properly. 

“The girl that I ended up just being was trying to calm me down,” she said.

“My nerves hit me like really really badly.”

Joining the international swimming community again after so long, Susie still managed to bump into a few familiar faces. 

“I met so many people in the marshalling area that I knew,” she said.

“For example, there was a Canadian girl in that race and we swapped clothes in 1989 when we came to Japan for the Pan Pacific Games.”

“It was just fun.”

Co-hosts Ash and Luttsy asked Susie if she realised she had broken the world record, to which she casually responded, “I saw that, yeah.”

“It was good. I felt like vomiting at the end, to be honest.”  

Watch the race below. 

The Nova 106.9 team are in Japan with a listener to compete in individual races and a group relay. 

Ash and Luttsy have individual races on today which can be live streamed below. 

Race times: 

· Tuesday 8 August from 10.30am AEST: Ash Bradnam competes in 50m men’s freestyle – Event #15 / heat 64

· Tuesday 8 August from 10.30am AEST: David “Luttsy” Lutteral competes in 50m men’s freestyle – Event #15 / heat 80

· Wednesday 9 August from approx. lunchtime (time is yet to be released) – Susie, Ash, Luttsy and Nova listener Kylie Fletcher compete in 50m Freestyle Mixed Relay – Event #25 / heat 9

· Monday 7 August to Friday 11 August – The Nova 106.9 Breakfast team will broadcast each day from Fukuoka, Japan, from 6am-9am AEST.

Livestream the races here.