Former USC star Larsen Jensen sets American record in 400 free

Michael Phelps wasn't the only American swimmer turning in record-setting performances Saturday on the first night of competition at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Former USC All-American and NCAA champion Larsen Jensen lowered his own American record in the 400-meter freestyle by clocking 3 minutes, 43.10 seconds to post the top qualifying time in the prelims.

Jensen set the previous American record June 29 with a 3:43.53 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

"I didn't want to take any chances with the last heat going all best times and leaving me in the dust, so I put a lot into it," Jensen said. "I didn't really have much choice."

China's Zhang Lin set an Asian record to qualify second in 3:43.32 with South Korean star Tae Hwan Park clocking the third-fastest mark of 3:34.35. Park made his intentions known before the Olympic Games that he would be going after the world record of 3:40.08, set in 2002 by Australia's Ian Thorpe in Manchester, England.

Russia's Nikita Lobintsev qualified fourth (3:43.45) and Australia's Grant Hackett, the 400 free silver medalist in Athens, was fifth in 3:44.03, ahead of American Peter Vanderkaay (3:44.22).

Jensen's mark tied for the 14th-fastest all-time in event history -- matching Thorpe's gold-medal effort from Athens -- with Hackett and Thorpe responsible for the other 13.