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.
