Bermudian Olympian Emma Harvey produced a breathtaking performance on day two of the prestigious 2026 AZ Sun Devil Open, shattering the meet record to claim a dominant gold medal in the Women’s 13 & Over 50m Backstroke Final.
Competing at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe, Arizona, the versatile sprint specialist showed her elite continental class by touching the wall in a blistering, season-best time of 28.78 seconds. The extraordinary swim officially eclipses the previous meet record of 28.87 seconds, set on May 17, 2025, by Canadian Olympic medalist Taylor Ruck.
The warning signs were evident from the morning preliminaries, where Harvey laid down an authoritative marker to dominate the field, clocking the fastest qualifying time at 29.48 seconds.
Returning for the evening showcase, Harvey executed a flawless start off the wedges. Maintaining an incredibly high stroke rate and clean body alignment down the single-lap straightaway, she held off a late surge from her collegiate rivals to rewrite the history books. The record-breaking display provides an enormous boost for the Bermudian star as she transitions into the peak of her international long-course schedule.
