I was a competitive swimmer when I was (much) younger, and this record just boggles the mind in the same way that Jason Lezak's anchor leg in Beijing blew people away. I still think something had to be wrong with the timing in Beijing, because even with a flying start Lezak's leg is beyond comprehension.
And now Bernard has broken 47 seconds. Back in my day people wondered if anyone would ever break 50 seconds. I think the world record at the time was 52 seconds. At my level the 1 minute barrier was considered amazing.
This is like someone just went out and ran 9.6 in the 100-meter dash.
46.94. Unbelievable.