Completed Event: Women's Swimming and Diving at Hawaii on October 25, 2025 , Win , 134, to, 127
W Swimming
at Hawaii
W 134-127
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Team Kenya
Brunlehner sets Kenyan national record at Olympics
8/3/2024 6:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
GCU swimmer goes 25.82 to close Sumer Games debut ahead of senior season
Grand Canyon swimmer Maria Brunlehner completed her Olympic debut exactly how she hoped, setting a personal best that broke the Kenyan national record in the 50-meter freestyle.
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The senior Lope finished third in the seventh heat at 2 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Saturday at La Defense Arena.
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Brunlehner previously set the Kenyan record in February, when she represented her country at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.Â
The Mombasa native then set the 50 freestyle mark at 26.12 seconds, but a fellow Kenyan swimmer topped that in July with a time of 25.97 seconds at a race in Poland.
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When the clock hit 2:16 a.m. in Phoenix, Brunhlehner held fourth in her heat until the last 15 meters, where she surged ahead and took third with a time of 25.82 seconds to retake the national record..
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"It's hard to go a best time at the Olympics," GCU head coach Steve Schaffer said. "Most do not."
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Brunlehner's 2024 Olympic stint concluded, but the senior heads home with a collegiate season ahead to defend the five gold-medal finishes she earned at this year's WAC Championships while looking to earn her first invitation to the NCAA Championships.
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The senior Lope finished third in the seventh heat at 2 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Saturday at La Defense Arena.
Â
Brunlehner previously set the Kenyan record in February, when she represented her country at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.Â
The Mombasa native then set the 50 freestyle mark at 26.12 seconds, but a fellow Kenyan swimmer topped that in July with a time of 25.97 seconds at a race in Poland.
 Â
When the clock hit 2:16 a.m. in Phoenix, Brunhlehner held fourth in her heat until the last 15 meters, where she surged ahead and took third with a time of 25.82 seconds to retake the national record..
Â
"It's hard to go a best time at the Olympics," GCU head coach Steve Schaffer said. "Most do not."
Â
Brunlehner's 2024 Olympic stint concluded, but the senior heads home with a collegiate season ahead to defend the five gold-medal finishes she earned at this year's WAC Championships while looking to earn her first invitation to the NCAA Championships.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
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