After a technically sloppy 200m 'fly yesterday, Michael Phelps, Olympic champion of 2004 and 2008, cracked out a confident and dominant world-leading 50.65 100m victory at US nationals, off a 24.04 split. No-one came close. And no-one has come close anywhere in the world so far this year (51.70 is closest by Evgeny Korotsyshkin, RUS and ADN). Here for all to see was the reason why Phelps is the greatest of greats: he knows when he gets it wrong, has the ability to feed that back into his next swim, which he gets very right. He knew it too: at the end, the face serious, a nod replaced the shake of yesterday.
This was US title No50 and the 6th best 100 fly of Phelps's career and his best ever in textile-only: 50.77 was the time in which he won the world title in a pb back at Melbourne 2007 (ahead of Ian Crocker, then WR holder in 50.40 and a man much missed). Another line in a tome bursting with one-liners of an extraordinary kind.
Rececca Soni won the 100m breaststroke in similar dominant style, on 1:05.73 and the 50m dashes went to Kara Lynn Joyce (24.86) and Nathan Adrian (21.70). That latter is the best by an American in pre-2008 materials, the standard having stood to gary hall Jr at 21.76. The 400m medley for women went to Caitlin Leverenz in 4:35.60.
Day 3 finals
Women's 100m breaststroke
Rebecca Soni, of Trojan, sneaked (by 0.06sec) to the helm of the 2010 world rankings with a 1:05.73 trouncing of all, including training partner and world-record holder (1:04.45 in a shiny suit last year) Jessica Hardy, half-way leader in 30.92 before collapsing on the ay home to finish 7th in 1:09.24.
Soni looked all the more thrilling for the gap she placed between her toes and the tips of fingers split by 0.7sec from silver to fifth. The minor spoils of that battle went to Ann Chandler in 1:08.07, bronze to Micah Lawrence in 1:08.48. That locked out 2000 Olympic champion Megan Jendrick (nee Quann), on 1:08.54, and Corrie Clark on 1:08.77, with Amanda Beard, 2004 200m Olympic champ, now 28 and a mum - what a journey from the teddy bear hugging days behind the start blocks at Atlanta 1996 - on 1:09.12.
Asked where she decided to "explode", Soni reminded the audience via the poolside mike that she didn't swim it like that... others fell off the pace: "I tried to explode the whole time. I was pushing for it the whole time ... but the last 50 felt pretty comfortable." It looked smooth too, ll the way into the wall.
Next stop back at the same pool for Pan Pacs and a showdown with Lethal Leisel Jones (AUS), who had held the No 1 world rank in 2010 at 1:05.79 and, like Soni, has dipped below 1:06 twice this season.
"I just keep pushing for more, its never really enough," said Soni, Olympic 200m and world 100m champion. As for Miss Jones, Soni added: "It's been about 2 years since we raced, so I'm really excited to see what happens ... really looking forward to getting in the water with her and seeing what happens."
It will be good - but those 1:04 moments of 2009 may take a while to get back to and highlight all the ore the sensational nature of Jones 1:05.09 textile best.
US Nationals 2010: 1:05.73; 1:08.07, 1:08.48; 1:08.54; 1:08.77
US Top 5 in 2009: 1:04.45; 1:04.84; 1:05.35; 1:05.75;
US Top 5 in 2007: 1:06.22; 1:06.94; 1:07.19; 1:07.38; 1:08.42
Men's 100m butterfly
Michael Phelps did what he is so good at doing: poor man, rich man. After a technically sloppy 200m 'fly yesterday, the Olympic champion cracked out a confident and dominant world-leading 50.65, off a 24.04 split.
No-one came close. And no-one has come close anywhere in the world so far this year. Almost a second to go to get back down to thundering under 50sec, but here for all to see was the reason why Phelps is the greatest of greats: he knows when he gets it wrong, has the ability to feed that back into his next swim, which he gets very right.
After claiming his 50th US crown, he told the poolside mike: "I'm fairly pleased with that. I wanted to be 50-point. That's pretty good for now, a lot better than last night, a plus." Indeed it was. He nailed his turn and surged ahead of the field off the wall, swam into the wall at the end, a lone racer against time and destiny. "My stroke felt a lot better, my walls were better. I felt more myself going into the race tonight."
He added: "I wanted to put some distance between my time and the best time in the world. Everything I set out to do tonight I accomplished. I couldn’t have felt better than I did tonight. I felt like my speed finally clicked. I felt more like myself in that race than I did in the 200 fly last night."
Asked how he evaluated performances these days he said: "It all depends what kind of shape I'm in. Right now, it's alright but there's a lot we can do better." On motivation, he noted: "There are always goals that keep me going. I have some things that I want to reach and that keeps me going."
Tyler McGill took silver off a 24.71 split on the way to a 52.20 that kept Timothy Phillips at bay by 0.21, which locked backstroke ace Aaron Peirsol off the podium on 52.80, Thomas Shields the last man below 53, by 0.06sec.
US Nationals 2010: 50.65; 52.20; 52.41; 52.80; 52.94
US Top 5 in 2009: 49.82; 50.90; 51.30; 51.42; 51.95
US Top 5 in 2007: 50.77; 50.82; 52.31; 52.76; 52.78
Women's 50m freestyle
Locked out in 9th last year, Kara Lynn Joyce (FAST) stormed to a 24.86 win that marked the only sub 25sec effort of the one lap dash. Silver went to Madison Kennedy in 25.15 and bronze to Amanda Weir in 25.29. That locked out Dana Vollmer and Samantha Woodward, both on 25.32, Jessica Hardy in lane four after a difficult 100m breaststroke final, 6th in 25.44, Christine Magnuson, 100'fly champion, 0.01sec back, and Melissa Franklin a furher 0.1sec back from that to close the race.
A beaming Joyce said: "I had no idea where I was. I kept going and was hoping for something good. I had a long finish. I am really shocked ... I finished 9th last year. It feels so good to come here again and go faster. I couldn't be happier and I think it showed in my swimming."
Hardy had had a bad day. his was her first domestic l/c selection meet since the one that resulted in a one-year ban after a banned substance showed up in a test result courtesy of a food supplement. "I definitely had some rough stuff this past year, I'm battling," Hardy told AP.
Five women inside 25sec last year in the US, Weir out there ahead in an other-worldy 24.23. Just one inside 25 in 2010, those the pack, the race, was tighter this time round.
US Nationals 2010: 24.86; 25.15; 25.29; 25.32; 25.32
US Top 5 in 2009: 24.23; 24.43; 24.71; 24.89; 24.90
US Top 5 in 2007: 24.53; 24.80; 25.08; 25.18; 25.27
Men's 50m freestyle
Nathan Adrian looked like a sprinter on the move in world waters: in 21.70 he rolled to the wall from 20m into the race in a way that, despite the tightness of the battle, suggested he could not lose. Cullen Jones and Josh Schneider shared silver in 21.97, provided the result of a final swum under protest is confirmed.
Schneider raced the heats of the 50 under protest after having failed to show for the 100m 'fly earlier in the session without having informed officials with an official withdrawal. After a hearing, Schneider was DQd. He appealed, raced the final, took shared second and must now wait to hear what happens next.
There is doubtless a great deal of sympathy with Schneider's circumstance. He told reporters that he didn't even know he had been entered in the 100m 'fly, having recently left Ohio to train in North Carolina, the entries having flown before he did.
"It's something I've never trained for," he said. "I didn't even look in the heat sheet for my name." Schneider's coach, David Marsh, appealed, the swimmer got to swim under protest in heats, another protest ensued, a second swim under protest ensued and appeal after appeal (four in all apparently), the case is likely to be solved tomorrow.
"I've done what I could, I've pleaded my case," Schneider told AP. "I feel good about it. I'm going to rest pretty easily tonight. It was a draining day to say the least."
No American had cracked 22sec this year before nationals. They have now. And with that 21.70, Adrian got past what was the best time in pre-2008 suits by an American: 21.76 was the best of Gary Hall Jr.
The world rankings for 2010 has Olympic and world champion Cesar Cielo (BRA) out in front in a Popov-cracking 21.55, Adrian tucks in 0.01sec ahead of the 21.71 season best of Fred Bousquet (FRA), his teammate Fabien Gilot is on 21.83, before Jones enters at 21.97, 0.01sec up on Poland's Konrad Czerniak.
Adrian said that the protest had not distracted him at all. He was now "hungry to race those guys" at pan Pacs later this month back at the same pool. "That was the strongest I’ve felt in the water in a long time," said the champ.
The contrast in times 2009/2010 is, as expected, stark:
US Nationals 2010: 21.70; 21.97; 21.97;
US Top 5 in 2009: 21.40; 21.46; 21.55; 21.73; 21.73
US Top 5 in 2007: 21.80; 21.82; 22.01; 22.31; 22.39
Women's 400m medley
Caitlin Leverenz took the long medley in 4:35.60, 5th in the world so far this year, with training partners Ariana Kukors and Katie Hoff claiming the minor spoils in a tight finish, 4:37.03 to 4:37.51, 8th and 9th on the world ranks for 2010. That locked out Elizabeth Beisel, last inside 4:40, on 4:39.08. And how good does Hoff's 4:32.89 win at Melbourne 2007 look...
Leverenz hinted at her own journey of highs and lows when she said: "I’ve had some ups and downs since missing the Olympic Team in 2008, and I’m just happy things are finally falling into place."
The splits tell the tale of where the race was won, Leverenz 6th after backstroke, first after breaststroke, Hoff 7th through to the last lap of breaststroke:
- Leverenz: 1:02.51; 2:14.92; 3:30.48; 4:35.60
- Kukors: 1:02.40; 2:13.84; 3:33.92; 4:37.03
- Hoff: 1:04.19; 2:15.14; 3:33.88; 4:37.51
US Nationals 2010: 4:35.60, 4:37.03; 4:37.51; 4:39.08; 4:41.87
US Top 5 in 2009: 4:34.80; 4:35.33; 4:36.02; 4:38.75; 4:40.61
US Top 5 in 2007: 4:32.89; 4:39.51; 4:40.33; 4:40.81; 4:41.57
