Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
record, new
In sentences such as She set a new record for that distance, purists often label this construction redundant, since any record must be new. But it’s a finical point, not worth arguing over. While it is technically true that there can be only one record at a time, each is always different from the one it supersedes and in that loose sense must also be new. The world of sports journalism distinguishes old and former records and record-holders, and new ones too. New record is Standard English.
