Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) set the U.S. Open record in the men's 200m free with a time of 1:44.10. It was his second win of the week after breaking the world record in the 400m IM on opening night. Those three swimmers officially qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team in those events, as does Jessica Hardy (Long Beach, Calif.) with her first-place finish in the women's 100m breast in a time of 1:06.87. Swimmers Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.), Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Klete Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.), who all placed in the top four in the men's 200m free, also automatically qualify.
When setting her world record, Coughlin became the first woman to swim the 100m back in under 59 seconds. She has held the world record in this event since August of 2002, when she became the first woman to break the one-minute barrier.
Tuesday night belonged to Coughlin. She was out in front of the field from the start of the race, and was 23-hundredths of a second ahead of world-record pace at the wall. She held off McGregory and King Aquatic Club's Margaret Hoelzer down the homestretch, touching six-hundredths of a second ahead of her former world record, and 24-hundredths ahead of Hoelzer, who finished second in 59.21. "It was nice to see fireworks tonight and get that ticket to Beijing," Coughlin said, referring to the pyrotechnics fired off at the Qwest Center when a swimmer breaks a world record. "This is such an emotional meet that it is a relief to make the team. Now I can take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of the meet."
Peirsol came out on top of a tight field in which the top six swimmers were separated by less than a second. Randall Bal (Fair Oaks, Calif.) turned at the 50-meter mark two-tenths under world record pace, but the race was a dead heat between the top six swimmers before Peirsol surged ahead in the final 25 meters. Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.) finished second in 53.19. "It's a huge confidence booster any time I can come out on top of a field like that," Peirsol said. "It's the fastest heat I've ever been in. Sixth place would have medaled (at the Olympics in 2004). I knew what I had to do today, and 54.0 wasn't going to make the team this time. "I feel like I have a huge weight off my back. Some of those guys were matching my best times."
In the men's 200m free finals, Phelps took the lead and was even with the world-record pace at the 100-meter mark. From there, he distanced himself from the rest of the field as the crowd stood on its feet and cheered him home. Finishing behind Phelps was Club Wolverine teammate Vanderkaay in 1:45.85, Berens in 1:46.14 and Keller of in 1:46.20. David Walters (Yorktown, Va.) and Erik Vendt (North Easton, Mass.) rounded out the top six in times of 1:46.64 and 1:46.95, respectively. "I think the only think I wasn't happy with was my last turn," Phelps said. "I took a double breath going into it, but that's just a little thing I can fix between now and the Olympics. "I'm really excited about the prospects on our relay. We could put together the four fastest guys ever, and it's possible we're going to see something that's unbelievable."
Hardy led the women's 100m breast from start to finish and was three-tenths ahead of world-record pace at 50 meters. She appeared to build on her lead as she headed into the second length, but fell off world-record pace as she neared the final wall. Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash.) out-touched Tara Kirk (Bremerton, Wash.) by one-hundredth of a second for second place, turning in a time of 1:07.50. "It's definitely a dream come true," Hardy said. "Every day for the past four years it's been in the back of my mind. I'm just thankful and grateful that it's become a reality. All it took tonight was just racing my competition. I know (the Olympics) are going to be competitive, but I'm prepared for it. Right now, I'm just very relieved and excited."
The second-place finishers in the women's 100m back, men's 100m back and women's 100m breast - along with the fifth- and sixth-place finishers in the men's 200m free - will likely be named to the team later in the week, pending swimmers qualifying in multiple events.
In Tuesday's semifinals, Katie Hoff (Townson, Md.) qualified as the top seed in the women's 200m free, turning in a time of 1:57.10. Hoff is also the top seed in the women's 200m IM tomorrow, swimming to a meet record of 2:09.94 in Tuesday's semifinals. She is almost a second ahead of the rest of the field, which includes Coughlin. Coughlin set a meet record in the first heat of semifinals in 2:11.72, only to have Hoff break that record in the second heat.
After his win in the 200m free, Phelps returned to the pool to qualify as the first seed in the men's 200m butterfly. Phelps holds the world record and owns eight of the top 10 performances of all time in this event.
Tomorrow's events include prelims and semifinals of the men's 100m freestyle, women's 200m butterfly and men's 200m breaststroke. Finals will be conducted in the women's 200m free, men's 200m fly and women's 200m IM. Prelims are set to begin at 11 a.m., with finals beginning at 7 p.m. CT.
