Crocker’s race with Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) in the 100m fly is one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the championships. The two will meet again in tonight’s semifinal, with Crocker as the No. 1 seed and Phelps as the third seed. Crocker, the world-record holder, posted a time of 51.44, more than two-tenths ahead of second seed Milorad Cavic of Serbia (51.70). Phelps posted a time of 51.95.
The men’s 800m free relay team of Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.), Jayme Cramer (Westfield, Ind.), David Walters (Yorktwon, Va.) and Klete Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.) cruised to the top seed for tonight’s final. The U.S. was four seconds ahead of the Australian relay, who touched in 7:14.84. Canada will swim from lane three after posting a morning swim of 7:16.00.
This morning’s prelims opened with back-to-back sprint events. In the women’s 50m butterfly, Rachael Komisarz (Louisville, Ky.) advanced as the number two seed with a time of 26.58. Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) squeaked in as the 15th seed with a time of 27.30. Next up, U.S. national champion Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.) and NCAA champ Ben Wildman-Tobriner (San Francisco, Calif.) took to the blocks for the 50m free. Jones finished first in his heat with a time of 22.09, less than a tenth ahead of Wildman-Tobriner (22.20). The two advance as the number three and number five seeds, respectively.
Kate Ziegler (Great Falls, Va.) swam in a competitive heat of the women’s 800m free. Ziegler led early in the race, but was threatened at the 600m mark by Kylie Palmer of Australia. Ziegler re-took the lead at the final turn and brought it home for a convincing win in 8:28.11. Ziegler advances to Saturday night’s final as the number-two seed, behind Laure Manaudou of France (8:25.65). In the next heat, Hayley Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.) finished a strong second to Manaudou. Peirsol clocked an 8:29.82 to advance as the seventh seed.
In the women’s 200m backstroke, Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) posted the third-fastest morning swim with a time of 2:10.25, while 14-year-old Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) swam a 2:11.91 to advance as the eighth seed in her first world championships. Hoelzer’s former teammate at Auburn, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, is the top seed.
Tonight’s finals begin at 7 p.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT). Finals will be contested in the men’s 200m backstroke as world record-holder and top seed Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.) will go head-to-head with teammate and number-two seed Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.). In the 200m breaststroke, Eric Shanteau (Atlanta, Ga.) will singularly represent the USA in the absence of world record-holder Brendan Hansen (Havertown, Pa.), who withdrew from the race due to illness. In the women’s 100m freestyle, Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.) will go for another medal while Tara Kirk (Bremerton, Wash.) and Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash.) will compete in the 200m breaststroke. The night will conclude with the finals of the men’s 800m freestyle relay.
The World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the only place where USA-based fans can watch Michael Phelps' dominating performances at the 12th FINA Championships as he aims to win an unprecedented 8 gold medals in 8 days. Log on to www.wcsn.com/swimming to watch exclusive LIVE and On-Demand footage of Phelps' first 4 gold medals including setting 3 world records in the last 3 days.
WCSN.com is offering live coverage of all of his remaining events, including the 100-meter butterfly, 400-meter individual medley and two relays (4x200 freestyle & 4x100 medley). Team USA is fielding one of the strongest squads they have ever assembled and have won 11 of the 22 events contested so far. Don't miss the chance to watch history in the making and view all the FINA action as it is happening only on WCSN.com.
Also, in a rematch of the 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medal match, the USA Women's Water Polo team will play in their third consecutive World Championship gold medal game Saturday, this time against Australia in front of the hometown fans.
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.
