On Feb. 13, Senior Brody Lamos broke the 100 backstroke record for Kennedy High School at a Iowa City West meet. For over 10 years, the men’s 100 backstroke record has hung on the record wall above the pool, a silent celebration of the old champion and a taunt to those who failed to break it.
This year, Lamos took the record off the wall, breaking Stefan Kitsos’ 100 backstroke record from 2015.
“I realized I had a shot at the record at the end of last year’s high school season when I dropped a little over 3 seconds over the course of the season,” Lamos said. “I only had to drop roughly 2.5 more seconds to get it.”
To prepare for state, Lamos changed his diet and sleep schedule weeks leading up to the meet.
“I cut back on sugar and caffeine for 2 weeks leading up to the meet and then had tons of it about 30 minutes before my race,” Lamos said. “I also got more sleep, and ate loads of carbs the day before.”
On the day of the meet, Lamos swam a time of 53.57 seconds, four milliseconds better than the record set by Kitsos. Lamos placed in the top 20 for both events, earning 17th in his 100-yard backstroke and 18th in the 50-yard freestyle.
“Brody has been bound and determined to break that record after his sophomore year. He has put a lot of time in the pool in the off-season, preparing him for that record,” boys swim coach Chad Derlin said. “He broke our school record and was named to the Senior Scholastic Team, showing his hard work in both swimming and academics.”
