Pan Pacific Championships, Irvine, California, day 2 heats:
On the second day of the Pan Pacs, the two-per-nation rule sorted out the national order of things with a vengeance. Cesar Cielo and Brenton Rickard made the cut for finals in the world-titles events courtesy of that drop, while Michael Phelps raced his first big-race 400IM since Beijing 2008 and clocked 4:15.38 for a ticket that fell a stop shy of the full ride. Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach, told Beth Harris at AP that his charge would not swim the consolation final. No consolation possible for a 14-times Olympic winner not used to being third-best anything, let along third at home.
Morning heats summaries
Women 100m freestyle
Championship record holder form 2006, Amanda Weir is out of the A final, her 54.50 good enough for fourth-best America. First through in 54.01 and 54.09 respectively were teammates Dana Vollmer and Natalie Coughlin. Teenager Yolane Kukla (AUS) made no mistake this time, after falling prey to the two-per-nation rule in the 50 'fly yesterday, her 54.17 in heat 2 just ahead of Jessica Hardy's 54.35 effort in heat 4 that will see the American breaststroke specialist race the B final. Hardy is racing for the US for the first time since she was dropped form the Olympic team in 2008 after testing positive for a banned substance found in a food supplement. Victoria Poon (CAN) clocked 54.44 ahead of Weir, with the next American, Kara Lynn Joyce on 54.59. There is no limit to national entries in heats at Pan Pacs. Emily Seebohm took the second Aussie berth in 54.65 to set another clash with Olympic backstroke champion Coughlin, who she defeated for victory over 100m yesterday.
Men 100m freestyle
On on 49.13 for 11th in heats, world champion Cesar Cielo (BRA) scraped into the final courtesy of the two-per-nation rule. He made it by 0.07sec, the gap to teammate Nicolas Oliveira. Eamonn Sullivan (AUS) made it through by just 0.03sec, in 5th on 48.92, a chink of light ahead of teammate James Magnuson, also under 49sec, but behind the 48.69 of Kyle Richardson. First through was Nathan Adrian (USA) in a championship record of 48.41 that got inside the best of anyone in Europe last week. Next American home, 2008 relay blaster Jason Lezak in 48.47 (also inside Alain Bernard's win for France in Budapest last week), while 2007 world champion and championship record holder before Adrian this morning, Brent Hayden (CAN), on 48.50. South Africans Graeme Moore, 48.99, and Lyndon Ferns, 49.09, also made the cut. A fascinating final in prospect with the sprint king out on the wing and in on a prayer. Among those well down the list over 50sec, Cullen Jones (USA) and Roland Schoeman (RSA).
Women 100m breaststroke
World champion Rebecca Soni (USA) threw down the gauntlet to Olympic champion Leisel Jones (AUS) with a championship record of 1:05.89, inside the 1:06.43 2006 standard of training partner Jessica Hardy and swifter too that the time in which the crown went to Yulia Efimova (RUS) last week. Sarah Katsoulis took Australia's first berth in 1:06.78, 0.02sec ahead of Jones. Satomi Suzuki (JPN) also got inside 1:07, on 1:06.94, Samantha Marshall (AUS) locked out by the two-per-nation rule, on 1:07.41. They must have found Amanda beard a nanny for the wee boy: she was next-best American through in 1:07.53.
Men 100m breaststroke
The nemesis of Brandan Hansen is allive and kicking: gone the 59.90 2006 championship record - to Kosuke Kitajima (JPN), the Olympic champion on 59.02 this morning, a league ahead and inside the 59.20 champs record in which Alex Dale Oen retained his Euro crown last week. Perhaps it had to be. Kitajima knew only that two domestic rivals could dump him out of the final. As it turned out, he dumped one of them, Ryo Tateishi on 1:00.09, Yuta Suenaga on 1;00.80 and gone. Mark gangloff and Eric Shanteau grabbed the US berths on 1:00.21 and 1:00.31 respectively, with Brazilian tales Cerdeira on 1:00.47. Christian Sprenger was first Aussie through in 1:00.83, while Brenton Rickard became the second world champion of the morning to make it through in last, on 1:00.89 for 9th equal, courtesy of the two-per-nation rule. Wings and prayers.
Women 400m medley
The ferocity of the drop is such that Katie Hoff's 4:36.82 championship record of 2006 went this morning to a 4:34.04. Elizabeth Beisel was leaving nothing to chance - with splits of 1:03.08; 2:11.72; 3:30.68 and on to that CR - what with Caitlin Leverenz and Ariana Kukors chasing on respective times of 4:39.59 and 4:40.02 and gone. Izumi Kato (JPN) was next through in 4:40.99, with teammate Maiko Fujino on 4:41.79, and Teresa Crippen (USA) on 4:42.70 and gone, before Samantha Hamill took the first Aussie berth in 4:43.86. Miho Takahashi (JPN) missed the national cut on 4:44.26, leaving room for 9th placed Natalie Wiegersma (NZL), 4:44.65, 10th and 11th placed Canadians Alexandra Komarnycky, 4:45.53, and Linday Seeman, on 4:46.65.
Men 400m medley
Ryan Lochte (USA) continues to chip away at the properties of Michael Phelps: the 4:10.47 championship record of 2006 was felled in 4:08.77 (56.24; 2:00.79; 3:10.82), a chunk inside the 4:10.95 in which Laszlo Cseh claimed the European crown for the hosts in Hungary last week. next through and having to make sure on a 4:09.20 was Tyler Clary, Thiago Pereira (BRA) a distant 4:15.35, with Phelps racing his first 400IM since Beijing and on a 4:15.38 ticket that fell a stop shy of the full ride. No idea at this stage why Phelps opted in to a race he had opted out of or whether he had hoped to go through (part of the training that has started to get him fitter, perhaps, the pain a reminder of what's to be done), but doubtless there will be an explanation soon (see next par...). For Japan, Yuya Horihata was next through 4:16.44, for Canada Brian Johns on 4:16.50.
And here's the first take from Phelps, as told to reporters in the mixed zone in Irvine: "I probably shouldn't have done it. Holy crap. Oh, my God, that was painful. ... I definitely wasn't expecting those boys to come out and fire one like that in heat one." Phelps swam in the third heat and knew that the end was nigh... The Olympic champ will not be racing the B final, coach Bob Bowman told reporters.
Women 50 backstroke
Former world record holder Sophie Edington (AUS) took lane four in 28.12 ahead of Aya Terawaka (JPN), 28.17, and Fabiola Molina (BRA), 28.30, Grace Loh (AUS), on 28.39, locking out Emily Seebohm, on 28.44.
Men 50 backstroke
Nick Thoman and David Plummer claimed the American berths in 24.82 and 24.87 ahead of Ryosuke Irie (JPN), on 25.20, with Ashley Delaney (AUS) on the same time and Junya Koga the second Japanese through 0.05sec back.
