Kate Ziegler, shown here after winning the women's 400-meter freestyle U.S. Nationals in 2007 will skip the event this year due to the flu. She ruled out competing in Wednesday’s 200 freestyle and said she had only faint hopes of being ready for Friday’s heats of the 800. (Darron Cummings, Associated Press)
INDIANAPOLIS, July 7 — A debilitating bout with the flu caused Great Falls native Kate Ziegler to pull out of the 400-meter freestyle competition on the first day of the swimming national championships Tuesday morning, and might have prematurely ended her hopes of defending her 800 free title at this year’s world championships in Rome.
Ziegler, who developed flu-like symptoms last Friday with a fever that peaked at 103 degrees, was so hobbled she did not attempt to travel here to compete, she said by phone from her parents’ home.
Ziegler, 21, ruled out competing in Wednesday’s 200 freestyle and said she had only faint hopes of being ready for Friday’s heats in the 800, in which she is the reigning world champion and third-fastest woman ever.
“I will leave the option open to go — at least I might try — but I also feel I have to be at least somewhat realistic,” Ziegler said. “Maybe it wasn’t my time this time around.”
This event serves as the qualifying event for the July 26-Aug..2 world championships in Rome. Though Ziegler is the reigning world champion in the 800 and 1,500 free — which won’t be contested in Rome — she cannot compete for the United States if she doesn’t make the team here this week.
She also is the third-fastest American woman ever in the 400.
Ziegler said a number of swimmers for the Fish, the McLean-based club she trains with, had been ill, and that several teammates recently had swine flu diagnosed. She visited her doctor as soon as symptoms emerged Friday, she said, and was told she had “some version of the flu.”
“Four boys on my team had swine flu,” Ziegler said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up getting it.”
Ziegler said she spent the weekend mostly in bed with a fever, chills, sore throat and severe headaches. She coughed repeatedly and spoke in a hoarse voice as she answered questions Tuesday afternoon. She took three days off from practice before attempting to swim a bit Monday. Then, she said, she managed only about 1,000 meters of easy stroking.
“It’s never easy,” Ziegler said. “I didn’t know what to expect at this meet, but I still wanted to go and compete.”
It has been an up-and-down year for Ziegler, who took six months off after her performance in last year’s Olympic Games fell short of expectations. Though she entered the Games having won four world titles, she said, she felt burned out even before she arrived. She finished 10th in the 800 and 14th in the 400.
She considered retiring after Beijing, but decided instead to ease back to training to ensure she did not wear herself down again. She competed in just one event this summer, a meet in Mission Viejo, Calif., in which she swam well below her personal bests in several events.
The illness hit unexpectedly Friday morning.
“I would much rather it happen now than in the next couple of years when I am training 100 percent, raring to go and expecting big things,” she said.
Shanteau rolls on: Olympian Eric Shanteau continued his tear in the breaststroke, breaking the one-minute barrier in his morning heat of the 100 breast while setting his third personal best of the year.
Shanteau touched the wall in 59.89 seconds, making him the second-fastest U.S. man in the event ever behind Brendan Hansen (59.13). Shanteau, who has been testing out various suits this summer, wore another new one: the Arena X-Glide, a suit worn during many recent record-setting performances around the globe.
Shanteau, who underwent surgery for testicular cancer after last summer’s Olympics, has been one of the strongest U.S. performers this season in the breaststroke events — which, internationally, have seen major drops in times as competitors don various versions of the latest high-tech suits.
Shanteau said he picked up his suit Monday.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Shanteau said. “Obviously, the suit is going to help out. But I think regardless of whether I was in this suit or another suit, I would still be under a minute this week.”
Lochte misses rival: Ryan Lochte, a six-time Olympic medal winner, doesn’t like the fact he is the overriding favorite in the 400 individual medley without Michael Phelps — who has taken a break from the event.
“I love racing him,” said Lochte, who finished second (4:15.63) behind Tyler Clary (4:11.29) in Tuesday’s heats. “I kind of gave [Phelps] some crap about it, not swimming it anymore.
“I called him wussy.”
Phelps was unavailable to comment.
Pelton advances in 200IM: North Baltimore Aquatic Club up-and-comer Elizabeth Pelton, 15, posted the fourth-best time in closely contested heats of what should be a fiercely competitive 200 individual medley final.
Pelton’s finish in 2:11.75 put her behind Julia Smit (2:10.54), Elizabeth Beisel (2:11.65) and Ariana Kukors (2:11.68). She topped North Dakota swimming sensation Dagny Knutson (2:11.87), who confessed to major butterflies after having been the subject of recent profiles in The Post, Sports Illustrated and the New York Times.
“This is a new experience for me,” Knutson, 17, said. “Other than [Olympic] trials, this is the next biggest thing.”
No other locals advanced to the final round. NBAC’s Andrea Staub (2:20.19) finished 53rd of 71 competitors. University of Virginia’s Katherine McDonnell (2:22.30) was 62nd and Elizabeth Shaw (2:24.71), 68th. Ashley Danner of the George Mason swim team finished 66th (2:18.18).
Lee skips 200IM for 100 Fly: NBAC’s Felicia Lee, 17, skipped the 200 individual medley to focus on the 100 butterfly first round and advanced to the final, finishing sixth in 58.79 seconds. No other locals advanced; NOVA of Virginia’s Katherine Sieben was 19th (1:00.61), NBAC’s Christie Raleigh finished 21st (1:00.94), and Virginia’s Lauren Smart (1:01.39) and Elizabeth Shaw (1:01.54) touched the wall in 36th and 39th places, respectively. Curl-Burke’s Suzanne Schwee finished in 1:02.95, 49th-best in the field of 55.
Sutton posts sixth best in 400 Free: Chloe Sutton, who trained for two years with the McLean-based The Fish, finished sixth in the 400 free, advancing to the final in 4:12.01. NBAC’s Kailey Morris just missed the finals cut, finishing ninth in 4:13.29. NBAC’s Kelly Offutt finished 43rd in 4:22.00; Curl-Burke’s Kristen Beales was 45th in 4:22.91; and Meredith Budner finished 46th in 4:23.02.
Local notes: In the men’s 100 breast, Rockville-Montgomery’s Eric Friedland finished in 1:03.20 for 17th best and George Mason’s Eric Knight finished in 1:04.96, 28th among 37 competitors.
NBAC’s Brennan Morris narrowly missed qualifying in the men’s 400 individual medley, finishing 10th in a time of 4:23.99. Fellow NBAC swimmers Bryan Offutt (4:27.53) and Austin Surhoff (4:28.70) landed in 18th and 20th places, respectively; Virginia’s Timothy Hayes finished 44th in 4:35.68; Rockville-Montgomery’s Andrew Relihan touched the wall in 4:38.01 for 47th overall; and Erik Hunter of Navy finished 50th of 51 entrants in 4:53.88. Curl-Burke’s Andrew Brake did not compete.
In the men’s 400 free, NBAC’s Andrew Cosgarea finished 27th in 3:57.73; George Mason’s Thomas Koucheravy finished 35th in 3:59.63; and The Fish’s Matthew Benecki finished 56th of 57 swimmers in 4:06.70. Navy’s Hunter was last in 4:14.19.
Tags: Andrew Relihan, Chloe Sutton, Elizabeth Pelton, Eric Friedland, Eric Shanteau, Felicia Lee, Kate Ziegler, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Suzanne Schwee, swine flu, U.S. Swimming Championships
stats corner
