CARLI CRONK THRIVES AT WORLD DEAF SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH 12 GOLD MEDALS

SwimSwam, August 28, 2023

https://swimswam.com/carli-cronk-thrives-at-world-deaf-swimming-championships-with-12-gold-medals/

Carli Cronk was a dominant force at the 2023 World Deaf Swimming Championships in Buenos Aires, with the six-day competition wrapping up earlier this month in the Argentine capital.

Despite missing deaf world record holder Matthew Klotz, who is currently on Season 25 of Big Brother, the United States emerged atop the medal table with 13 gold and 25 total medals, primarily due to the performance of Cronk.

The 17-year-old Notre Dame Commit was nearly unstoppable, piling up 12 gold medals to go along with a pair of silvers, highlighted by her world record performance in the women’s 100 butterfly.

Cronk put up a time of 1:02.28 to lower the official deaf world record of 1:03.69, set by South African Peggy de Villiers in 2015, although it wasn’t a lifetime best for Cronk.

Cronk has actually been faster than 1:02.28 on six occasions, including hitting a PB of 1:01.04 last month at the Futures Championships in San Antonio, but none of those swims were ratified as deaf world records.

Cronk took on an unbelievably hectic schedule en route to winning 14 medals, so she only set personal bests in the 50 back (30.64) and 50 fly (28.57), the latter of which was the lone individual event she didn’t win, taking a close second to Italian Sara Maragno (28.53).

Cronk’s wins included new Championship Records in the women’s 100 free (58.32), 200 free (2:08.25), 400 free (4:31.16), 1500 free (18:02.70), 200 back (2:23.99) and 200 fly (2:19.57).

She also won the 800 free (9:25.59), 200 IM (2:23.11) and 400 IM (5:05.00) individually, and added a 12th title in the mixed 400 free relay, as she teamed up with Syler Pizzolato, Brooke Thompson and Samuel Kohm as the U.S. touched first in 3:49.49 over Ukraine (3:51.10).