best time
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best time
The fastest time ever achieved in a specific sporting discipline or on a specific course, either overall or by an individual person.
Bei den Meisterschaften schwamm sie eine neue persönliche Bestzeit.
At the championships, she swam a new personal best time.
The word is a clear compound of 'best-' (the superlative of 'gut' (good)) and 'die Zeit' (time). So it literally means 'the best time'.
Sein Ziel ist es, die beste Zeit des Jahres zu laufen.
His goal is to run the best time of the year.
In a sports context, 'Bestzeit' (best time) is often combined with certain verbs. You can 'aufstellen' (set), 'verbessern' (improve), 'einstellen' (equal), or simply 'laufen' (run), 'schwimmen' (swim), or 'fahren' (drive/ride) a best time.
Der Läufer will bei diesem Marathon eine neue Bestzeit aufstellen.
The runner wants to set a new best time in this marathon.
The combination 'persönliche Bestzeit' (personal best time) is used very frequently. It refers to the fastest time an individual person has ever achieved, not the overall record.
Obwohl er nicht gewonnen hat, freut er sich über seine neue persönliche Bestzeit.
Although he did not win, he is happy about his new personal best time.
record
'Rekord' and 'Bestzeit' can both describe an especially good performance, especially in sports. But 'Bestzeit' specifically means the fastest time over a course or in a discipline. 'Rekord' is broader: it can refer to the best performance, the highest value, or an extreme value, not just to time. So you can run a best time and perhaps set a record with it. The words can be confused when talking about sports. When the time is the focus, 'Bestzeit' is more precise; when it is generally about a top value, 'Rekord' fits better.
Heute ist Anna ihre persönliche Bestzeit geschwommen.
Today Anna swam her personal best time.
Beim Stadtlauf hat Mehmet einen neuen Rekord über zehn Kilometer aufgestellt.
At the city run, Mehmet set a new record over ten kilometers.