Lochte’s victory in the 200m back was especially stunning because he defeated Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.), who had not lost in that event at an international competition since taking silver at the 2000 Olympic Games. Peirsol led for much of the race before Lochte pulled ahead in the final 50 to touch in 1:54.32, more than a tenth of a second faster than the world mark of 1:54.44 that Peirsol set at last year’s Pan Pacific Championships. Peirsol finished almost a half second behind in 1:54.80 for the silver, while Austria’s Markus Rogan earned bronze with a time of 1:56.02.
The men’s 800m free relay dominated the race from start to finish, posting a time of 7:03.24 to take down the former world mark of 7:04.66 that the Australians set at the 2001 World Championships. The American relay was the same cast of characters that has swam this relay since the 2004 Olympic Games – and broken the American record each summer since then. However, it was all Team USA tonight. Silver medalist Australia was almost seven seconds off the pace in 7:10.05, and Canada won the bronze in 7:10.70.
Not to be outdone, Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) got in on the record action, setting the American record in the semifinals of the women’s 200m back. Hoelzer, who is celebrating her 24th birthday today, swam at 2:07.70 to take down Natalie Coughlin’s former record of 2:08.53. Hoelzer will be the top seed heading into tomorrow evening’s final, while 14-year-old Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) did not advance. Beisel, who is competing in her first world championships, finished 12th in 2:12.09.
In other finals action, Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash.) tied for the silver medal in the 200m breaststroke, earning her first individual world medal. Jendrick touched the wall in 2:25.94, equaling Britain’s Kirsty Balfour. Australian Leisel Jones was more than four seconds ahead of the rest of the field, earning her second gold of the meet with a time of 2:21.84.
Coughlin narrowly missed a medal in the 100m free, finishing fourth with a time of 53.87. Australia’s Libby Lenton won gold in championship-record time of 53.40. Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands was the silver medalist, while Germany’s Britta Steffen earned bronze.
In the men’s 200m breast, Eric Shanteau (Atlanta, Ga.) was the top American finisher, touching in 2:11.50 for fifth place. In a race in which world record-holder Brendan Hansen was noticeably absent, Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima regained the world title, finishing in 2:09.80 for the gold medal. Australia’s Brenton Rickard captured silver, and Italy’s Loris Facci was the bronze medalist.
In other semifinal action, five Americans comfortably advanced to tomorrow evening’s finals in their respective events. Ian Crocker (Portland, Maine) is the top seed in the 100m butterfly, and Phelps sits in fourth. Swimming side-by-side in the same heat, Crocker posted a time of 51.41; Phelps touched in 51.92.
Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.) earned the second seed in the 50m free, notching a semi-final time of 22.00 behind Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand. Ben Wildman-Tobriner (San Francisco, Calif.) also advanced to the finals as the sixth seed (22.23).
Rachel Komisarz (Louisville, Ky.) will vie for a medal in the final of the women’s 50m fly as the third seed in tomorrow night’s final. Komisarz’s time of 26.48 was more than six-tenths behind top seed Therese Alshammar of Sweden, who set a championship record of 25.82. Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.), who won a silver medal last night in the 200m fly, did not advance to the final, finishing 12th (26.99).
Preliminary heats in five events will be contested on Saturday morning, including: women’s 50m free, men’s 50m back, women’s 50m breast, men’s 1500m free and women’s 400m medley relay. Footage of the world and American record performances, as well as all the action from tonight’s finals, is available on-demand at wcsn.com.
About USA Swimming: As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit USA Swimming on-line.
