U.S. swimming stars at the Pan Pacific Championships
Particularly after the recent Pan Pacific Championships, U.S. swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte have shown why experience and class is indispensable.
All news items emanating from Friday night's event at the Pan Pacific Championships had Michael Phelps in the headlines. Who is the best swimmer of 2010; Phelps has so far set another record by finishing the 100 metre butterfly in a time of 50.86 seconds. Soon after this victory, he displayed a brilliant opening leg in 48.13 seconds in the 400 metre freestyle relay. It was also a world record and the quickest time in the world in the 100 metre freestyle in 2010.
Ryan Lochte is no less either. He won five gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships in which three of them were individual meets. Meanwhile the other two came in the relays in which his was the second leg. He also won the 200 metre backstroke event with a lot of comfort and poise.
Lochte held off his teammate Tyler Clary in this particular meet, finishing the race in 1 minute and 54.12 seconds, while Clary’s timing to finish in the second place was clocked at 1 minute and 54.90. Ryan smacked into the lane in the dying moments of the race which was why he was half a second slower. Clary also revealed that during the race, he was trying his best not to hit the lane but he got carried away towards the end of the meet. While talking about hitting the lane, Clary believed that he was taken away to another world when he’s swimming outside and thus almost always smacks into the lane while looking up to the sky.
Ryan’s victory was one of the 1-2 finishes for the U.S. swimming team. The other three included those of Michael Phelps’ and Tyler McGill’s in the 100 metre butterfly, Dana Vollmer’s and Christine Magnuson in the 100 metre butterfly, and Elizabeth Beisel’s and Elizabeth Pelton’s in the 200 metre backstroke.
The list of winners at the Pan Pacific Championship from USA and other countries includes Jessica Hardy in the 50 metre breaststroke in a time of 30.03 seconds which is the third fastest time in the world. South Korean swimmer Tae Hwan Park won the 400 metre freestyle and open water swim champion Chloe Sutton won the women’s 400 metre freestyle. Filled with happiness for her victory in a major international event, Sutton was seen jumping with excitement.
U.S. female swimmers also set a record by winning the 400 metre freestyle relay in a time of 3 minutes and 35.11 seconds. While the winner of the men’s event of the same race finished the race in 3 minutes and 11.74 seconds which was a meet record as well. Jason Lezak told correspondents that it was the first time that he had set a world record since 2001.
As always, Lochte enjoyed swimming in the relay.
While talking to the reporters after the race, Ryan Lochte opined that he did not feel tired after the race - comparing his stamina with teammates Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian who were out of breathe and panting like anything.
The Pan Pacific is of particular importance for the swimmers since this championship is the determinant of the team that will be selected to play at next year’s World Championships.
Katie Hoff on the other hand was the winner of the 400 metre freestyle in a time of 4 minutes and 5.50 seconds in the event that took place at the start of August. The swimmers who offered Hoff some stiff competition at the Pan Pacific Championships included her own team member Kate Ziegler who ended in a time of 4 minutes and 05.52 seconds. Hoff admitted that she was very nervous when she felt the pressure coming from Zeigler but she somehow sustained it in the end.
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