Beijing Olympic Games

US swimmers set to dominate in Beijing

by Rebecca Bryan

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Always formidable in the Olympic pool, the United States will launch a squad of proven performers at Beijing's Water Cube in their bid to maintain their swimming superiority.

Eight of the nine world records set or matched at the US trials June 29-July 6 were produced by swimmers with previous Olympic experience, including two medley world records for multi-event superstar Michael Phelps.

"We always talk about experience," said US men's head coach Eddie Reese. "More important is good experience and good results."

The US has plenty of that to draw on.

Phelps, who won six gold and two bronze in Athens, is again the figurehead of a US men's team that could conceivably approach the record of 12 gold medals captured by the American men in Montreal in 1976.

Phelps himself will tackle five individual events, in four of which he holds the world record - the 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly and the 200m and 400m individual medleys.

His fifth individual event could well turn out to be a tussle with teammate Ian Crocker in the 100m butterfly, in which Crocker holds the world record but trails in his head-to-head rivalry with Phelps.

Peirsol, who owns the 100m back world record outright and shares the 200m mark with teammate Ryan Lochte, will be back to defend the backstroke double he earned in Athens - with Lochte in pursuit.

Newcomer Garrett Weber-Gale leads the US men's charge in the sprint freestyle, winning both the 100m and 50m at the trials, but he'll face stiff competiton from both French and Australian rivals.

In the medal count stakes - for the US men's team as a whole and for Phelps as he chases Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds at one Games - the three relays could be the key.

"Hopefully we can come back in a month and show that the US is the best swimming team in the world," Phelps said as the trials concluded in Omaha, Nebraska.

The picture isn't quite as bright for the American women.

Katie Hoff has posted the fastest times of 2008 in the 200 and 800 freestyles and the 400 medley, in which she set a world record at trials.

She also owns the second-fastest times of the year in the 400m free and 200m medley, but she'll face tough medley competition from Australia's Stephanie Rice.

Only two other women's world records belong to Americans - Coughlin's 100m backstroke mark and world champion Margaret Hoelzer in the 200m back.

American women are definite underdogs when it comes to butterfly and as in Athens could well fail to medal in either the 100m or 200m.

Dara Torres, who made a splash with her trials victories in the 100m and 50m free at the age of 41, nevertheless lags behind Australia's freestyle sprint stars.

"We look forward to the challenge," US national team general manager Mark Schubert said of the women's underdog status. "I think it will give our women's team a rallying cry. It is something to think about and work on in the next five weeks."

But America's women will have to have a superb meet to avoid failing to bag the most medals for the first time since 1988.

"I have no idea what to predict," admitted women's head coach Jack Bauerle. "We have to be prepared for fast swimming on all fronts. If you blink, there's going to be a lot of people in front of you."

Updated: 2008-07-07

(BEIJING, July 7) — The 2008 US swimming trials came to a close Sunday night in Omaha, Nebraska. The week was full of headlines with 9 world and 21 American records rewritten over the course of the eight-day competition.

In the final round of the women’s 50m freestyle, 41-year-old Dara Torres broke the American record for the second time in two days, lowering her previous time by .13 seconds to 24.25. Jessica Hardy finished second with a time of 24.82.

In the men’s 1500m freestyle final third seed Peter Vanderkaay took first-place clocking 14:45.54. American record-holder Larsen Jensen came in second at 14:50.80. Top seed Erik Vendt placed fourth with a time of 15:07.78.

The complete roster for the 2008 US Olympic swim team was announced shortly after the conclusion of Sunday’s competition. In addition to 43 athletes named to the team, the Olympic coaching staff was also finalized. The entire US Olympics team and coaching staff will travel to Palo Alto, California on July 7 for training prior to departure for Beijing.

The Olympic swimming competition will take place on August 9 through August 17 at the Beijing National Aquatic Center (Water Cube). The men’s and women’s 10K Olympic marathon swim will take place on August 20 and 21 at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing.

New World Records

2008 US Swimming Trials, June 29- July 6

Swimmer

Event

New Record

Former Record

Michael Phelps

400m IM (F)

4:05.25

4:06.22 (Michael Phelps USA) 1 Apr 2007

Katie Hoff

400m IM (F)

4:31.12

4:31.46 (Stephanie Rice AUS) 22 Mar 2008

Hayley McGregory

100m Back (P)

59.15

59.21 (Natalie Coughlin USA) 17 Feb 2008

Natalie Coughlin

100m Back (P)

59.03

59.15 (Hayley McGregory USA) 30 Jun 2008

Natalie Coughlin

100m Back (F)

58.97

59.03 (Natalie Coughlin USA) 30 Jun 2008

Aaron Peirsol

100m Back (F)

52.89

52.98 (Aaron Peirsol USA) 27 Mar 2007

Aaron Peirsol

200m Back (F)

1:54.32

1:54.32 (Ryan Lochte USA) 30 Mar 2007

Michael Phelps

200m IM (F)

1:54.80

1:54.98 (Michael Phelps USA) 29 Mar 2007

Margaret Hoelzer

200m Back (F)

2:06.09

2:06.39 (Kristy Coventry ZIM) 16 Feb 2008

P = preliminary SF = semifinal F = final

Expect 1-2 finish for Hoff, Zeigler in Beijing

By Janet Evans, Yahoo! Sports

Women’s 200 backstroke: I must admit that 2004 Olympic veteran Margaret Hoelzer’s performances in both the preliminaries and semifinals of the women’s 200-meter backstroke had me both puzzled and concerned. After qualifying for the 2008 Olympic team in the 100 backstroke, I figured that the 200 backstroke – considered to be her best event – would be hers to lose. But Hoelzer was less than impressive in the two 200-meter swims leading up to this evening, and prior to this race, it seemed that Hoelzer could lose her position as our country’s best 200 backstroker to either Elizabeth Beisel or Hayley McGregory, the top two finishers going into Saturday’s final. But Hoelzer retained her spot in spectacular fashion and put an exclamation point on it with a new world record time of 2:06.09. Beisel, the 15-year-old who is having an incredible meet, finished second in a blazing 2:06.92, a time that was under Hoelzer’s old American mark of 2:07.16 and is a full four seconds under her best time prior to this competition. Finishing a heartbreaking third was McGregory. This is the fourth third-place finish in her Olympic trials career.

Women’s 800 freestyle: Katie Hoff dominated this race from the 400-meter mark on. Pulling away from the field at the beginning of the fifth 100, Hoff opened up a substantial lead that saw her touch the wall in 8:20.81, nearly five seconds ahead of Kate Ziegler’s second-place time of 8:25.38. It was the fifth victory for Hoff in Omaha and was her 14th race of the competition! Hoff has now qualified for the Olympic team in three freestyle races: the 200, 400 and 800. Along with the 200 and 400 IM and 4×200 freestyle relay, Hoff will have the chance to win six medals in Beijing. As for Ziegler, her second-place time came as a surprise to me. After her outstanding 4:03.92 in the 400 freestyle, I had expected her to give Hoff a run for her money, especially considering that Ziegler’s best event is considered to be the 800. However, Ziegler placed second and earned a spot in this race in Beijing, where it really counts.

WHAT WE LEARNED SATURDAY

Women’s 200 backstroke: It seems that our American backstrokers could save the best for last come Beijing. Hoelzer’s effort Saturday broke the world record of Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe, the woman who has recently dominated this race on the world stage and was considered a favorite to win the gold in Beijing. Coventry needs to watch out. With the American duo of Hoelzer and Beisel, Coventry will find herself in quite a race in a few short weeks. With Hoelzer’s new world record and fast times from Olympic trials, her confidence and vast international experience give her the edge to beat Coventry in Beijing. And don’t forget Beisel: With such an incredible drop in time in this event in Omaha, the sky is the limit for her. Although I predict Hoelzer and Coventry to swim a hard-fought battle for the gold, Beisel is my dark horse in this race.

Women’s 800 freestyle: I must admit that I was surprised with the 800 meter results from Saturday. Between the new Speedo LZR racer and the fast times posted by Ziegler and Hoff in the 400 freestyle, I was expecting a world-record time from these amazing freestylers. But from my experience, the Olympic trials is a much more emotionally draining competition than the Olympic Games themselves. As mentioned before, Hoff has stepped onto the starting blocks here in Omaha fourteen times. Regardless of her incredible fitness level, she is bound to be a little bit tired. Beijing could be a different story. As odd as it may sound, I predict less pressure on Hoff come the Olympics. She can only build on the excitement and motivation of standing on that Olympic medal podium as the Games progress, and will most likely come into the 800 meter race renewed, refreshed and ready for victory. As for Ziegler, I expect her to have a better competition in Beijing. She will certainly post faster times in just a few weeks and will most likely go head-to-head with Hoff in a fierce battle for the gold. Regardless of who wins in Beijing, I predict a one-two finish for the American women in this race.

WHAT WE CAN EXPECT SUNDAY

Women’s 50-meter freestyle: We can expect another stellar performance from Dara Torres in Sunday’s only race. In Saturday’s semifinal, Torres reclaimed her American record with a speedy 24.38. It had been a wild few hours for the U.S. standard in this event: Before Saturday morning, Torres owned the record with a 24.53. In the preliminaries, Lara Jackson eclipsed the mark with a 24.50. It stood for a few hours, only to be broken by Jessica Hardy in the first semifinal. Hardy clocked a 24.48. Not to be outdone, Torres sailed through the second semifinal heat and touched the wall one-tenth of a second ahead of Hardy’s time – enough to put her name back on the record books. Jackson’s 24.94 in the semis pushes her back to a fourth-place ranking for the final, just behind second-place qualifier Hardy and third-place qualifier Kara Lynn Joyce. Like any sprint event, this race is tough to predict and could come down to hundredths of a second differentiating first place from last. But based on her fast swimming in the 100m and her incredible will to win, my money is on Torres.

Expect 1-2 finish for Hoff, Zeigler in Beijing

By Janet Evans, Yahoo! Sports

Women’s 200 backstroke: I must admit that 2004 Olympic veteran Margaret Hoelzer’s performances in both the preliminaries and semifinals of the women’s 200-meter backstroke had me both puzzled and concerned. After qualifying for the 2008 Olympic team in the 100 backstroke, I figured that the 200 backstroke – considered to be her best event – would be hers to lose. But Hoelzer was less than impressive in the two 200-meter swims leading up to this evening, and prior to this race, it seemed that Hoelzer could lose her position as our country’s best 200 backstroker to either Elizabeth Beisel or Hayley McGregory, the top two finishers going into Saturday’s final. But Hoelzer retained her spot in spectacular fashion and put an exclamation point on it with a new world record time of 2:06.09. Beisel, the 15-year-old who is having an incredible meet, finished second in a blazing 2:06.92, a time that was under Hoelzer’s old American mark of 2:07.16 and is a full four seconds under her best time prior to this competition. Finishing a heartbreaking third was McGregory. This is the fourth third-place finish in her Olympic trials career.

Women’s 800 freestyle: Katie Hoff dominated this race from the 400-meter mark on. Pulling away from the field at the beginning of the fifth 100, Hoff opened up a substantial lead that saw her touch the wall in 8:20.81, nearly five seconds ahead of Kate Ziegler’s second-place time of 8:25.38. It was the fifth victory for Hoff in Omaha and was her 14th race of the competition! Hoff has now qualified for the Olympic team in three freestyle races: the 200, 400 and 800. Along with the 200 and 400 IM and 4×200 freestyle relay, Hoff will have the chance to win six medals in Beijing. As for Ziegler, her second-place time came as a surprise to me. After her outstanding 4:03.92 in the 400 freestyle, I had expected her to give Hoff a run for her money, especially considering that Ziegler’s best event is considered to be the 800. However, Ziegler placed second and earned a spot in this race in Beijing, where it really counts.

WHAT WE LEARNED SATURDAY

Women’s 200 backstroke: It seems that our American backstrokers could save the best for last come Beijing. Hoelzer’s effort Saturday broke the world record of Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe, the woman who has recently dominated this race on the world stage and was considered a favorite to win the gold in Beijing. Coventry needs to watch out. With the American duo of Hoelzer and Beisel, Coventry will find herself in quite a race in a few short weeks. With Hoelzer’s new world record and fast times from Olympic trials, her confidence and vast international experience give her the edge to beat Coventry in Beijing. And don’t forget Beisel: With such an incredible drop in time in this event in Omaha, the sky is the limit for her. Although I predict Hoelzer and Coventry to swim a hard-fought battle for the gold, Beisel is my dark horse in this race.

Women’s 800 freestyle: I must admit that I was surprised with the 800 meter results from Saturday. Between the new Speedo LZR racer and the fast times posted by Ziegler and Hoff in the 400 freestyle, I was expecting a world-record time from these amazing freestylers. But from my experience, the Olympic trials is a much more emotionally draining competition than the Olympic Games themselves. As mentioned before, Hoff has stepped onto the starting blocks here in Omaha fourteen times. Regardless of her incredible fitness level, she is bound to be a little bit tired. Beijing could be a different story. As odd as it may sound, I predict less pressure on Hoff come the Olympics. She can only build on the excitement and motivation of standing on that Olympic medal podium as the Games progress, and will most likely come into the 800 meter race renewed, refreshed and ready for victory. As for Ziegler, I expect her to have a better competition in Beijing. She will certainly post faster times in just a few weeks and will most likely go head-to-head with Hoff in a fierce battle for the gold. Regardless of who wins in Beijing, I predict a one-two finish for the American women in this race.

WHAT WE CAN EXPECT SUNDAY

Women’s 50-meter freestyle: We can expect another stellar performance from Dara Torres in Sunday’s only race. In Saturday’s semifinal, Torres reclaimed her American record with a speedy 24.38. It had been a wild few hours for the U.S. standard in this event: Before Saturday morning, Torres owned the record with a 24.53. In the preliminaries, Lara Jackson eclipsed the mark with a 24.50. It stood for a few hours, only to be broken by Jessica Hardy in the first semifinal. Hardy clocked a 24.48. Not to be outdone, Torres sailed through the second semifinal heat and touched the wall one-tenth of a second ahead of Hardy’s time – enough to put her name back on the record books. Jackson’s 24.94 in the semis pushes her back to a fourth-place ranking for the final, just behind second-place qualifier Hardy and third-place qualifier Kara Lynn Joyce. Like any sprint event, this race is tough to predict and could come down to hundredths of a second differentiating first place from last. But based on her fast swimming in the 100m and her incredible will to win, my money is on Torres.

Swimming-Hoelzer shatters 200 backstroke world record

OMAHA, Nebraska, July 5 (Reuters) - Margaret Hoelzer set a new 200 metre backstroke world record at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday when she clocked a time of two minutes, 6.09 seconds.

Hoelzer sliced .30 seconds off the mark of 2:06.39 set by Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry in February. (Writing by Steve Keating; Editing by John O’Brien) (For more stories visit our multimedia website “Road to Beijing” at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics; and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china)

On Phelps’ night, Hoelzer sets world record

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)—Margaret Hoelzer has set the ninth world record of the U.S. swimming trials, winning the 200-meter backstroke in 2 minute, 6.09 seconds.

The 25-year-old got a great surge off the wall heading into her third lap, then closed strong to beat the record of 2:06.39 set by Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry in February.

Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Beisel, a rising star in American swimming, rallied to take the second Olympic spot in 2:06.92. Hard-luck Hayley McGregory finished third again, matching her finish in the 100 back and denying her a berth on the Beijing team.

Swimming-Hoelzer breaks 200 backstroke world record

OMAHA, Nebraska, July 5 (Reuters) - Margaret Hoelzer set a new 200 metre backstroke world record at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday when she clocked a time of two minutes, 6.09 seconds. (Editing by John O’Brien) (For more stories visit our multimedia website “Road to Beijing” at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics; and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china)