Sun Citians excel in world championships

Two Sun Cities swimmers took home gold medals at the 2024 World Masters Championship in Doha, Qatar.

The United States won eight gold swimming medals in the women’s 85-89 age group at the championship, held Feb. 29-March 2, and two Sun Citians won seven of them. Mary Ann Case, of Sun City, and Gynt Clifford, of Sun City West, each competed in five events at the meet. Case captured four golds and a silver while Clifford secured three gold and two silver medals and both medaled in every event they competed in.

“I think that’s pretty neat. That’s what you call a good swim meet,” Clifford said.

Case won gold in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter butterfly while setting U.S. records in the 50- and 100-meter with times of 55:69 and 2:20.89, respectively. The U.S. record for 100-meter butterfly was last set in 2009, but the 50-meter record lasted less than year. It was set in August 2023.

Case also won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 45:88.

She earned a silver medal in the 50-meter backstroke with a time of 59:13, but was edged out of the gold by Clifford with a 58:22 time, who also placed in gold in the 100- (2:13.23) and 200-meter backstroke (4:39.63).

“I never do the (50-meter backstroke), so I don’t practice it,” Case said, letting her competitiveness show. “She beat me by a second.”

Clifford also earned silver medals in the 50- and 200-meter freestyle, with times of 51:13 and 4:21.45, respectively.

“We’ve been swimming against each other for at least 15 years so we know each other pretty well,” Clifford said. “I think I did pretty well. I was going for top 10 and I got top four in the five events.”

Case agreed.

“I did have a good meet, probably my best ever,” she said. “It was the adventure of a lifetime, but a lot of stress, too. A lot of it is mental. You have to keep positive and believe no one can beat you. Mental attitude is very important.”

Like Case, who began swimming competitively after moving to Sun City in 2008, Clifford started swimming competitively after moving to Sun City West. This was her second world meet. She also competed in Italy in 2012.