Wednesday Prelims at World Champs: Vaziri Sets American Record in 50m Backstroke

After a stunning night of swimming that saw the Americans break three world and one American record, Team USA returned to the pool Wednesday morning for preliminary heats in four events. Six Americans advanced to tonight’s semifinals, which will be contested in addition to finals in the men’s 200m butterfly, women’s 200m freestyle, men’s 50m breaststroke and men’s 800m free.

Leila Vaziri (Coral Springs, Fla.) was the talk of the morning in the American camp, as the 21-year-old set an American record in the 50m backstroke. Vaziri’s time of 28.25 was five-hundredths faster than the previous record of 28.30, which Natalie Coughlin set last night in the first 50 of her world-record swim in the 100m back. Vaziri is the top qualifier, followed by Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus and Laure Manaudou of France. Olympian Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) tied with Australia’s Emily Seebohm for the seventh seed with a time of 28.93.

In the men’s 100m free, Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.) earned the top seed with a morning swim of 49.02. Just three-hundredths behind him as the second seed is Italy’s Filippo Magnini (49.05), and Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands rounds out the top three (49.06). Neil Walker (Verona, Wis.) did not advance to semis after posting a time of 49.83.

Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) will also be the lone representative in the women’s 200m fly, as Mary DeScenza (Naperville, Ill.) narrowly missed a spot in the semifinals. Vandenberg clocked a 2:08.63 for the third seed behind Canada’s Audrey LaCroix (2:08.12) and Poland’s Otylia Jedrzejczak (2:08.38). DeScenza finished in 17th with a time of 2:11.73.

Both Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) and Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) comfortably advanced in the preliminary heats of the 200m individual medley. Phelps occupies the top spot after a morning swim of 1:58.70, while Lochte is the sixth seed with a time of 1:59.92. Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh is the second seed in 1:58.78, and Brazil’s Thiago Pereira sits in third (1:59.39).

Phelps will be going for his third gold of the meet as the top seed in the men’s 200m fly, and Brendan Hansen (Havertown, Pa.) is after his second gold as the top seed in the men’s 50m breast. Both Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) and Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas) will swim in the finals of the 200m free.

More on the 2007 FINA World Championships - Melbourne, 17 March - 1 April 2007 - Including links to full results.

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