Ryan Lochte pushed Michael Phelps back into fight mode at US nationals in Irvine this evening, the Olympic 200m freestyle champion retaining his grip on domestic supremacy by 0.17sec in 1:45.61, 16th best of his career. The tussle left the two Americans at the helm of the world rankings ahead of the 1:45.84 clocked by world champion and record holder Paul Biedermann (GER) last month.
In other action, Natalie Coughlin claimed the 100m backstroke crown; David Plummer produced an upset victory in the men's sprint back final 0.03sec ahead of Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol; and Allison Schmitt nestles in behind world leader Federica Pellegrini in winning the 200m free in a nail-biter with Dana Vollmer that ended 1:56.84 to 1:56.93.
The session ended as it began: with Phelps on top. In 1:56.00, wrought in sloppy fashion by the standards expected of the Olympic champ, he claimed the 200m 'fly crown and sailed past another milestone on the path trodden only by the greatest-of-greats. Phelps now has one more national title than Tracy Caulkin's record of 48 from the 1980s.
Day 2 finals
Women's 100m backstroke
Natalie Coughlin is back at the helm of US sprint backstroke. The 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion, back after a year out in 2009, got a great start and was a head ahead emerging into her stroke. At the turn, on 28.92, she put on show her dolphin-kicking skills off the wall and then held stoke all the way home, a hint of struggle there in the last 15m as the pack closed in on her. Coughlin stopped the clock at 1:00.14, second best in the US this season behind Elizabeth Pelton's 59.99 and just sneaking into the top 10 in the world this year. Pelton , on 1:00.48 on the day, finished 4th.
The minor spoils went to the next generation: silver for Melissa Franklin, 15 this year, on 1:00.39, just 0.01sec ahead of Rachel Bootsma, 17 this year, on 1:00.40.
Coughlin (CAL-PC), who clocked 28.30 and 59.44 on her way to the world crown and record in 2007 the year before poly put the kettle on, told the USA Swimming poolside interviewer: "It's very strange being in another selection meet. Yesterday I was kind of out of it and luckily I got that out of my system. it feels great to make a Pan Pacs team again."
Champion once more after taking a year out in 2009, Coughlin added: "I honestly thought I would go a lot faster tonight but got caught up in the moment of it all ... and that was a little distracting."
US nationals 2010: 1:00.14; 1:00.39; 1:00.40; 1:00.48; 1:00.76
US top 5 in 2009: 59.42; 59.77; 1:00.47; 1:00.50; 1:00.69
US top 5 in 2007: 59.44; 1:00.66; 1:00.79; 1:00.93; 1:01.32
Men's 200m freestyle
Olympic champion Michael Phelps, North Baltimore, had the edge from the block to the end - but only just. The third lap saw Ryan Lochte stroke back as the two long-time rivals, teammates and friends raced side-by-side almost on the edge of the race.
The splits tell the tale of tightness:
- Phelps: 24.62; 51.37; 1:18.64; 1:45.61
- Lochte: 24.85; 51.72; 1:18.65; 1:45.78
Bronze went to 400m winner Peter Vanderkaay in 1:46.84 just ahead of Ricky Berens, on 1:47.09 and Conor Dwyer on 1:47.35, David Walters the last sub-1:48 man, on 1:47.78.
Forget 2008-09, trawl back to 2007, when Phelps won the world crown and took down Ian Thorpe's world record: 24.47; 51.00; 1:17.73; 1:43.86.
Phelps has said all week that mentally he is in the right place, physically not. His splits in Ivine appear to confirm that notion. This was the 16th swiftest 200m free of his career, his slowest annual swim since 2004 when he first stepped into the biggest of arena's over four laps free for that so-called "race of the century" (a little premature, perhaps...). The year is not over yet, of course, though Phelps shook his head on looking up at the scoreboard: victory done but he wanted more, will and work, two different things. Pan Pacs is his next shot later this month.
Phelps told the poolside mike that he was "further away than he wanted to be" from the place he though he ought to be, though racing Lochte and crew had been a pleasure.
Lochte retorted with a verdict that the race had been "Brutal, butIi love racing against Michael and knew he would go out fast ... I just had to hold on." Pan Pacs would be fun, he added: "We'll give everyone a show." The relay, said Phelps, was looking good.
US nationals 2010: 1:45.61; 1:45.78; 1:46.84; 1:47.09; 1:47.35
US top 5 in 2009: 1:43.22; 1:44.95; 1:44.95; 1:45.66; 1:45.77
US top 5 in 2007: 1:43.86; 1:45.45; 1:47.42; 1:47.51; 1:47.66
Men's 100m backstroke
Not many men have got past Aaron Peirsol on backstroke down the past 10 years. David Plummer is now among them after keeping the Olympic champion at bay by 0.03sec at what for Peirsol is a "homecoming" pool.
Nick Thoman got the best outgoing 50m, turning in a swift 25.80, with Peirsol next through on 26.15 and Plummer just 0.03sec back ahead of a 26.32 for Olympic silver medallist Matt Grevers. There was nothing in it on the way home, Plummer and Peirsol racing practically stroke for stroke as Thomas struggled from 25m out and Grevers fought to get into medal contention.
The timing of the last few strokes settled the race in Plummer's favour 53.60 to 52.63 for Peirsol, Thoman hanging on for bronze in 53.78, Grevers 4th in 54.00 and well done on his season best of 53.05. In shiny suit season 2009, 53.34 was Plummer's best, after 53.83 in 2008, while 54.93 was the swiftest he had swum before February 2008, and that time dating back to 2006.
A delighted Plummer, 24, told reporters: "I made my first national team when I was 16, and that was eight years ago, the national junior team. I've been working for a really, really long time and to have it pay off like this is huge. It means a lot to me. It does get cold in Minnesota. I don't even know where to start. Being able to walk away with a gold medal against a field like that, it makes me think I can be the best in the world one day. That's every swimmer's dream. You can do it from anywhere. You don't have to train next to the best in the world to be the best in the world."
The helm of the world rankings belongs yet to Liam Tancock (GBR) and that spring blast of 52.85, Plummer now at 6th in 2010 and Peirsol stepping up to 7th. That 200m back is looking ever more interesting, what with Olympic champ Lochte pressing Phelps on free, Phelps on a 53.92 100m back so far this season, and Peirsol looking good and back on the USA team for another big meet, even though the days of 51.94 world records may be gone for a while yet.
For the 27-year-old, who took Olympic silver as a 17-year-old over 200m back at Sydney 2000, the meet is a homecoming: he grew up at Irvine Novaquatics. He told local reporters on the eve of racing that he age had not dented his desire, though the nature of that had changed: "Physically I'm fit, I'm healthy. Mentally, I'm in a great place. It's great to be home. To get to have friends and family come out and watch, that's pretty cool. This is a sport where you can go around the world, and usually we do. To have it in my home pool, it's very cool, especially this late in my career. I'm not sure I'm in the place in my career where I feel like I have anything to prove. I'm not sure that's why I swim anymore. I'm not going out there to prove anything to the guys next to me, or the people in the stands or anything. I'm in a place where I'm doing this because I want to do it."
US nationals 2010: 53.60; 53.63; 53.78; 54.00; 54.46
US top 5 in 2009: 51.94; 52.51; 52.82; 53.34; 53.36
US top 5 in 2007: 52.98; 53.01; 53.50; 53.54; 53.82
Women's 200m freestyle
Allison Schmitt kept her cool as Dana Vollmer took charge of the race in dominant fashion over the first 100m, made her move on the third length, stuck he head down and claimed the crown in 1:56.84. That time squeezes her into second place on the 2010 world rankings between Olympic and world champion Federica Pellegrini (ITA), on 1:56.23 so far and about to fire beyond that in Budapest, and Camille Muffat (FRA), on 1:56.92 as she heads into battle on Margaret Island next week.
Vollmer was out in 27.23 and turned with a strong lead in 56.79 at half-way, Schmitt next to register, on 57.32. The third lap was decisive: by the final turn, Schmitt had broken the lead down to just 0.15sec, Vollmer first through in 1:27.15, and Katie Hoff now challenging on 1:27.75.
In the closing 15m, the fight for the wall was a nail-biter, though command never looked likely to slip from Schmitt's grasp, the momentum with her as Vollmer tightened. At the touch, Vollmer missed gold by just 0.09sec in 1:56.93, her consolation silver, selection and 4th place 2010 world ranking just 0.01sec back from Muffat. The bronze went to Hoff on 1:57.50, 8th best in the world so far this season. Morgan Scroggy continued to have a good wekk, on 1:57.56 and assured a place in a 4x200m free quartet that will surely wish to show its muscle at some stage down the line, starting with Pan Pacs in the face of Aussie might, the two nations evenly matched to date this year.
Today, the moment belonged to Schmitt. "I knew it would be close ...and just kept my head down," said the beaming, breathless champ. "It's amazing, really exciting to go to Pan Pacs and represent the US.
US nationals 2010: 1:56.84; 1:56.93; 1:57.50; 1:57.56; 1:58.47
US top 5 in 2009: 1:54.96; 1:55.29; 1:56.05; 1:57.73; 1:58.25
US top 5 in 2007: 1:56.43; 1:57.09; 1:58.26; 1:58.40; 1:59.03
Men's 200m butterfly
Michael Phelps had done the hard slog in the 200m free, the 200m 'fly at the end of the session a matter of making sure he kept his crown and booked his ticket. In 1:56.00 he did just that, though the whole affair looked a little sloppy and was slower than Phelps managed in June at the Paris Open.
The Olympic champ of 2004 and 2008 and world record holder emerged from a sluggish start a head and shoulders ahead and never looked back as far as winning was concerned. But the roll into the second turn, another dubious effort at the last turn and a slippery glide into the wall at the end all had the hallmarks of a man on the ropes in terms of his place on the way back to superfit status. Coach Bob Bowman will doubtless have a few words to say on all of that, though those words had probably already been uttered long before action got underway in Irvine.
At the end of the race Phelps rolled his eyes, shook his head and then said it had felt "terrible... absolutely awful". Good summary. "But I knew that being able to have that much time between a double and races like these ... I'm not in the best shape to do those events back to back but being in Pan Pacs team is the most important thing."
He summed up the race with these words: "It just didn’t feel good at all. My stroke didn’t feel good from the start, and I chopped two of my walls. That's probably the worst 200 fly I've ever swam in my life. In terms of strokes, turns, breathing off the wall. It's weird because that's the stroke I've felt the best in, all year long. To go out 56 flat is rather disappointing in my eyes."
One ray of light: the race kept open his winning account in the event opened in 2002 after his last defeat, by 2000 Olympic champ Tom Malchow at Pan Pacs that year.
And one more bright star: the race took him past another milestone in a stellar career beyond all others: he now has more national titles than the legendary Tracy Caulkins. To be referred to in the ssame sentence as the likes of Caulkins, Mark Spitz and others of that ilk, said Phelps, was "a special feeling".
Silver went to Mark Dylla in 1:57.08, 0.24sec ahead of world finalist Tyler Clary (on 1:53.64 last year), with Bobby Bollier fourth 0.05sec further back.
US nationals 2010: 1:56.00; 1:57.08; 1:57.32; 1:57.37; 1:57.98
US top 5 in 2009: 1:51.51; 1:53.64; 1:55.87; 1:56.13; 1:56.34
US top 5 in 2007: 1:52.09; 1:56.03; 1:56.58; 1:57.07; 1:57.16
