Benedetta Pilato, An Italian Teen, Sets New 50m Breaststroke World Record

Italian teenager Benedetta Pilato set a new world record for the 50m breaststroke in the semi-finals of the European Swimming Championships on Saturday. The 16-year-old clocked 29.30 seconds to better the Foregoing best of 29.40sec set by American Lilly King in 2017. “I didn’t think I was capable of this now. I thought maybe I would beat the European record, but not the world record at all,” said Pilato.

However, in an effort to dampen expectations, she added: “No, I’m not the (Olympic champion) Adam Peaty of the women’s breaststroke.”

The 50m breaststroke, unlike backstroke and butterfly over the same distance, is not a race included in the Olympic Games.