USA Swimming: June 2008 Archives

Brendan Hansen said that upon learning that Japanese star Kosuke Kitajima broke his world record in the 200-meter breaststroke June 8, he was more motivated than ever to excel at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials and at the Beijing Games.

If his preliminary swim in the 100 breaststroke Sunday at the Qwest Center in Omaha is any indication, Hansen's world record could be in jeopardy in tonight's semifinals.

The Longhorn Aquatics standout clocked 59.84 seconds to lead all qualifiers, giving him half of the top 20 all-time marks in the event. Hansen set the world record of 59.13 in Aug. 2006 at the summer nationals in Irvine.

Mark Gangloff clocked 1:00.10 to take second to Hansen and John Criste, a former Saugus talent and Mission Viejo graduate who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, qualified sixth for tonight's semifinals in a lifetime-best 1:01.31, more than a second drop from his entry time of 1:02.64.

Swim Pasadena's Cheyne Bloch, the older brother of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village junior Chase Bloch, posted a mark of 1:03.35 to take 34th out of 76 swimmers.

Katie Hoff was under American record-pace at the midway point of her heat. Elizabeth Beisel flirted with breaking the world record through 250 meters in her opening swim Sunday.

Their performances in the women's 400 individual medley prelims wound up producing two of the top 14 marks in event history and set the stage for what could be an incredible showdown on the first night of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Qwest Center in Omaha.

Hoff set the American record of 4 minutes, 32.89 seconds at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. At the time, Hoff's effort was good for the world record until Australia's Stephanie Rice lowered it to 4:31.46 at the Australian Olympic trials in March.

The 19-year-old Hoff, representing North Baltimore Aquatics Club, was a tenth under her own record pace through 200 meters, but finished with the top qualifying time of 4:34.59, giving her half of the top eight marks all-time in the event.

Beisel, 15, who attends North Kingston High in Rhode Island and competes for Bluefish Swim Club, was five-hundredths under Rice's world record-pace through 250, but couldn't maintain the effort and clocked a lifetime-best 4:35.76, No. 3 in U.S. history behind Hoff and Kaitlin Sandeno (4:34.95), who qualified 10th in 4:44.17.

Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge junior Andrea Kropp, representing Swim Pasadena, clocked 4:51.41, one tenth off her best time recorded June 7 at the Janet Evans Invitational at USC. Kropp finished 31st out of 82 swimmers.

Chaminade of West Hills junior Meghan Hawthorne, competing for Porter Valley Aquatics, finished 48th in 4:54.41. Hawthorne's best time entering the meet was 4:52.57.

UCLA sophomore Samantha VandenBerge, a La Serna of Whittier graduate, took 79th in 5:05.03, well off her qualifying time of 4:53.72.

Even without Michael Phelps in the field, the men's 400 freestyle could be the highlight of the first night of competition Sunday at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Qwest Center in Omaha.

Phelps decided to scratch the event before competition Sunday to focus solely on the 400 individual medley and his pursuit of another world record-swim in the championship heat.

But two of Phelps' Club Wolverine teammates, American record-holder Peter Vanderkaay and former USC standout Erik Vendt, appear headed for quite a battle.

Vanderkaay, who set the American record of 3 minutes, 43.82 at the Santa Clara Invitational in May, clocked 3:48.06 to post the fastest qualifying time. Vendt won his heat with an effort of 3:48.25 and another former USC All-American Larsen Jensen was second to Vanderkaay in the final heat in 3:48.28.

Mission Viejo High graduate Chad LaTourette, who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, qualified fourth at 3:48.59 and USC alum Klete Keller, who held the American record of 3:44.11 -- set with his bronze medal-swim at the Athens Olympics -- until Vanderkaay broke it five weeks ago, qualified fifth at 3:49.92.

Only two swimmers in the event secure their berths on the U.S. Olympic team, which means a trio of high-profile athletes will be left disappointed.

It was no surprise to see former UCLA All-American Kim Vandenberg start slowly in the first 50 of the women's 100-meter butterfly, as the 24-year-old is one of the best in the country at closing in the second half of the race.

But Vandenberg put herself in a precarious position Sunday in the 18th and final heat of the butterfly prelims by turning last at the midway point, before rallying to finish sixth and move on to tonight's semifinals with the 12th-fatest mark of 59.57 seconds.

NCAA champion Christine Magnuson of Tennessee recorded the fastest prelim time of 57.84, leading the field of 16 qualifiers for the semifinal heats. Natalie Coughlin, the American record-holder at 57.34, didn't compete in the prelims.

Vandenberg will likely have to shave off a half-second or more in tonight's race to move on to Monday night's finals.

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Yumi So clocked 1:02.39 to finish 98th out of 137.

Susan Von Der Lippe, the oldest competitor at the trials at 42, finished 105th in 1:02.47.

Club Wolverine swimming standout Michael Phelps officially began his march toward eight gold medals at the upcoming Beijing Olympics with his preliminary swim Sunday in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

Phelps clocked 4 minutes, 13.43 seconds to win the final heat, but former University of Florida standout Ryan Lochte recorded the fastest qualifying mark of 4:13.38 in the next-to-last heat to secure his place in lane 4 in tonight's final, with Phelps swimming in lane 5.

Phelps, the world record-holder in the event at 4:06.22, clocked 4:12.01 in the prelims at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne en route to setting the world record. Lochte, the silver medalist in Australia, posted a mark of 4:13.71 in the prelims, before clocking 4:09.74 in the final, the seventh-fastest time in event history.

Only Phelps and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh have gone faster than Lochte.

It should be an incredible battle between Phelps and Lochte in tonight's final shortly after 5 p.m. PDT.

The first day of the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials will commence today at the Qwest Center in Omaha with prelims in five events: men's 400-meter individual medley, 400 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, and women's 400 IM and 100 butterfly.

Finals are scheduled for tonight in the men's and women's 400 IM and the men's 400 free.

Club Wolverine's Michael Phelps could produce the first world record swim in the 400 IM. Phelps, who set the mark of 4 minutes, 6.22 seconds at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, was also entered on the psych sheet in the 400 free, but decided to scratch Sunday.

Although much is being made of Harvard-Westlake of Studio City graduate Dara Torres' bid to make her fifth Olympic team at age 41, she isn't the oldest female competitor at the meet. Susan Von Der Lippe, 42, competes in the first prelim heat in the 100 butterfly.

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Yumi So will compete in the 12th of 18 prelim heats and UCLA graduate Kim Vandenberg will race in the final heat. The swimmers need to qualify among the top 16 to compete in the semifinals.

With Phelps out of the 400 free, the showdown is reduced to a four-swimmer battle between Club Wolverine's Peter Vanderkaay -- the American record-holder at 3:43.82 -- and former USC standouts Klete Keller, Larsen Jensen and Erik Vendt. Vanderkaay and Vendt train with Phelps.

North Baltimore Aquatics Club's Katie Hoff has an opportunity to regain her world record tonight in the 400 IM. Hoff, 19, who clocked 4:32.89 at the 2007 World Championships, had her mark lowered by Australia's Stephanie Rice (4:31.46) in March.

UCLA sophomore Samantha VandenBerge will compete in the fifth heat of 11 in the 400 IM, Chaminade of West Hills junior Meghan Hawthorne will race in the sixth heat and Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge junior Andrea Kropp is entered in heat No. 8.

Brendan Hansen, the world record-holder (59.13) in the 100 breaststroke, will compete today in the prelims and semifinals, with the final scheduled for Monday night.

Cheyne Bloch, older brother of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village junior Chase Bloch, will compete in heat 10 of 11. Former Saugus standout and Mission Viejo graduate John Criste, who recently completed his freshman season at Stanford, will race Hansen in the final heat.