Pan Pacific Championships, Irvine, California, day 4:
Men's 200m Individual Medley
Eight lanes of fine swimmers but there was no-one else on his race but the shiny quarry ahead of him: Ryan Lochte chased down his 2009 world mark with a championship record of 1:54.43, the best we've ever seen in textile and a league apart from all who followed. Six golds on the score sheet, a seventh not available a a meet with no medley relay heats - man of the meet - and the man familiar with staring down sevens and even pieces of eight smiling down from the Gods.
Lochte was a streak lightning: out in 24.86 on 'fly, on 53.28 at the half-way, then beyond the destruction of a breaststroke leg that set a flame-thrower to doubt and left him on 1:26.69 at the last turn, he roared home in 1:54.43 with a last 50m split of 27.74 (29.18 for Laszlo Cseh over in Budapest). In Beijing, Phelps came back harder still. Fun and games ahead as two men aim to deliver moments beyond their LZR pants and bodies.
The silver in Irvine delivered another Lochte/Tyler Clary 1-2 for the US, on 1:57.61, bronze for Thiago Pereira (BRA), on 1:57.83, locking out Ken Takawuwa (JPN) on 1:58.06.
The race was the only one of the evening in which the red line out front was relevant to that point, with Rebecca Soni still to take the stage. Lochte's 1:54.10 and Michael Phelp's Olympic victory of 1:54.23 are still out there on the clock and by London 2012 that's where the battle is heading. Phelps, who opted out before heats, was in the stand and smiling down on the man who will surely give him whole lot of trouble and inspiration on the way to his swansong.
Lochte, coached by Gregg Troy in Florida, looked disappointed at the end, though asked what his goal was he said: "I wasn't really focussed on getting the world record ... just racing tough."
He said something different in the mixed zone when asked about the fact that no long-course world records have been set since the return of textile suits in the wake of 255 global standard in 23 months of poly putting the kettle on (a handful of those marks never ratified in the flip-flop chaos of it all).
"I wanted to prove to everyone it wasn't a fluke," Lochte said. "I knew I had it in my sight. All the swims I had earlier in the week made me a little tired. I was like, `Man, if I'd just taken one or two more dolphin kicks I would've had it.'" He had felt good to 20m from the end when the pain of "all those races done" set in.
How will you remember this summer, he was asked. As a stepping stone to "bigger and better things". In Shanghai and London, he will be awaited like the rain. Coached by Jon Urbanchek, Clary too is treading on some solid stepping stones.
Trans-Atlantic splits:
Lochte: 24.86; 53.28; 1:26.69; 1:54.43
Cseh: 24.94; 53.82; 1:28.55; 1:57.73
Trans-Atlantic medals:
- Pan Pacs: 1:54.43; 1:57.61; 1:57.83
- Euro 1-3: 1:57.73; 1:58.03; 1:59.46
Records
Shiny suit era
- WR: 1:54.10 Ryan Lochte (USA) Jul 2009
- ER: 1:55.18 Laszlo Cseh (HUN) Jul 2009
February 1 2008
- WR: 1:54.98 Michael Phelps (USA) Mar 2007
ER: 1:56.92 Laszlo Cseh (HUN) Mar 2007
