Elizabeth Pelton, 15, could win her third world championship berth Friday night. (Toni L. Sandys, The Washington Post)
U.S. swimming championships archives
INDIANAPOLIS, July 10–Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, 15, did not expect to make the world championship team in one event here at the U.S. swimming championships, let alone two.
By Friday night, it could be three.
Her performance in Friday’s morning heats of the women’s 200-meter backstroke gave her the second seed for Friday night’s final.
“I kind of like being under the radar,” she said.
She’s not anymore. Her finish in 2 minutes, 09.72 seconds trailed only Elizabeth Beisel, 16, who touched the wall in 2:09.36. Making things interesting will be Katie Riefenstahl, 19, of the University of Texas; she placed third in 2:09.98.
Curl-Burke’s Mei Christensen, 20, also will compete in the final; she drew the eighth seed with her finish in 2:12.98.
The top two finishers in the final will earn spots in the July 26-Aug. 2 world championships in Rome. Pelton is already ticketed for Italy in the 200 medley and the 100 back.
“It’s always fun to see somebody break out like she’s broken out here,” said Mark Schubert, USA Swimming’s National Team Director. “She’s starting to swim like a veteran. Swimming at the world championships can be an important part of that process.”
Because the world championship team will remain in town until departing Tuesday for Italy, Pelton has had a bit of scrambling to do. Her brother Greg, who will swim at Harvard this fall, packed her suitcase Friday, she said. The suitcase will be shuttled here by the mother of another athlete competing this weekend, Pelton said.
“I don’t really like to predict things,” Pelton said when asked why she hadn’t brought extra clothing. “I feel like that jinxes it.”
After the world championships, Pelton will beginning training under Bob Bowman, who coaches Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff and a few other elite athletes at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Pelton has trained under Paul Yetter since her family moved from Fairfield, Conn., but Yetter will assume an assistant coaching position at Auburn after these championships.
“I’m very excited about it,” Bowman said. “It will be really nice to take somebody at the start of her career. It’s a situation where we will have a long-term plan and just gradually take her along.”
Torres Out of 100 Free
Dara Torres, 42, said she would not compete in the 100 free Saturday since she clinched a spot on the world championship team with her victory Thursday in the 50 free. Torres said pushing off the wall taxes her arthritic left knee too much to risk competing in that event.
She will, however, swim in a time trial in the 50 butterfly Saturday in an attempt to set a new world record (she already holds the American record in the event). Torres could compete in the 50 fly event at the world championships. USA Swimming rules give 100 fly champion Christine Magnusson and second-place finisher Dana Vollmer first dibs, but if they decline to compete in the sprint, Torres could get the call.
Schubert Rails Against Suits
Schubert said the new high-tech suits that have proliferated in recent months likely cost some deserving U.S. athletes places on the world championship team.
The world swimming governing body (FINA) in May considered banning more than 100 of the most controversial suits, but then changed its mind and approved 400 suits for use this year.
“I think there are some athletes that are very loyal to their companies who may not have made changes because of that loyalty, and it cost them spots on the team,” Schubert said.
Schubert declined to elaborate, but he surely was referring to some of Speedo’s sponsored athletes. Besides Phelps, Speedo’s top athletes have not had great success here. One that has, Torres, wore a Jaked01 suit in her victory Thursday. Though Speedo was at the forefront of the suit technology last year, dozens of newer and increasingly performance-enhancing suits have since been released.
Speedo’s LZR, the suit of choice at last year’s Olympics, is now considered archaic.
“It would be unfortunate if it makes a difference in who the true world champion is,” Schubert said. “We want athleticism to determine the world champion. There certainly is a risk.”
Schubert also said: “The coaching community and swimming community would like us to go back to the 2007 generation of suits. That’s been the proposal; that’s what FINA promised in January. But they also promised something in May that they didn’t deliver on … I’ve been disappointed.”
Sutton Shines in 800; Ziegler, Hoff, Don’t Swim
Mission Viejo’s Chloe Sutton, 17, qualified first in the women’s 800 heats, which went off without defending world champion Kate Ziegler or Hoff in the field. Sutton, who trained for two years with Ziegler at the McLean-based Fish, finished in 8:29.55.
Ziegler’s hopes of defending her title were erased by a bout with the flu that prevented her from traveling here. Hoff also did not compete in the 800 and she has pulled out of the 100 Saturday as well. A three-time medal winner in Beijing, Hoff finished sixth in the 400 here and eighth in the 200, then described this past year as the hardest of her life.
“I think everybody can have a down year over a long career,” Schubert said. “She’s been a person on top of the national level since she was 14 years old … I’m not concerned; I’m disappointed for her because I know she wanted to be on this team.”
Local Results
NBAC’s Brennan Morris, 18, qualified for the 1,500 final, earning the fourth seed in 15:17.39. Besides Brennan, Pelton and Christensen, there were no other local finalists, but there were a host of top-20 placements: NBAC’s Andrew Cosgarea, 16, finished 13th in 15:32.43 and George Mason grad Thomas Koucheravy, 24, 14th in 15:32.56. Curl-Burke’s Meredith Monroe, 20, finished 20th in the 200 back in 2:15.61; NBAC’s Austin Surhoff, 18, and T.P. Patrick made the B final of the 200 individual medley, Surhoff coming home in 2:03.46 and Patrick in 2:03.94. In the women’s 200 fly, NBAC’s Lee, Kailey Morris, 21, and Virginia’s Elizabeth Shaw, 20, all qualified for the B final. Lee finished in 2:12.49; Morris, 2:13.94, and Shaw, 2:13.97.
Tags: Dara Torres, Elizabeth Beisel, Elizabeth Pelton, Kate Ziegler, Katie Riefenstahl, Mei Christensen, Michael Phelps, U.S. Swimming Championships
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Schuburt was instrumental in getting USA swimming to accept the speedo tech suits. I beleive TYR has a lawsuit pending against USA swimming naming Schubert who has played a major role early on in encouraging the suit use. He was not boo-hooing when it was only the US national team and certain swimmers that had access to the tech suits. He didnt care 18 months ago that they might create an unfair advantage because of availability..he is a shill for speedo. Schubert and his ilk have opened this Pandora suit box.The only thing he is right about is that it is a shame to be beaten by someone not as good because of a suit
Beautifully said, oldschoolfan. However, I do agree with Schubert on one other thing: it’s time to return to the 2007 suits. I’m over this whole controversy dominating/undermining the sport.
Amy…I have to ask since you are there, who is wearing what? I can tell the LZR’s but am having a tough time with the others. I saw Walters in a Jaked1..what about the other Longhorns? Also what about Wolverines, particularly Clarey
I’ve seen probably more Jakeds than anything else. The Arena X-Glide has been pretty popular, though. To be very generic about it, I’ve seen mostly Jakeds among the top-8 freestylers, more X-Glides on breast strokers. Although Gangloff wore a Jaked. Clary has worn the Jaked. Allison Schmitt, Cullen Jones and Nathan Adrian had Jakeds. Dara Torres wore the Jaked for her 50 free, despite her Speedo contract. Christine Magnuson wore the X-Glide. Aaron Peirsol, an Arena guy now, has worn only the X-Glide pants. I’ve seen Speedo LZRs on the Speedo athletes: Phelps, Lochte, Megan Jendrick, Katie Hoff … as well as some of the younger kids: Dagny Knutson, Elizabeth Pelton. Most of the non-contracted, collegiate types with hopes of making the team seem to be in Jakeds with a handful of X-Glides. I think Julia Smit wore a blueseventy. But this is very unofficial and impressionistic.
You really got me curious. I just looked at some video from last night…
W 200 back: Jaked, LZR, LZR, Jaked, LZR, Jaked, LZR, LZR
W 200 fly: Arena, Tyr, Tyr, blueseventy, LZR, LZR, LZR, blueseventy
M 200 IM: Arena, Jaked, Arena, LZR, Jaked, ?? (just pants), Jaked, Tyr
M 100 free: Jaked, Jaked, LZR, Jaked, Jaked, Jaked, Jaked, Tyr.
Lochte wore an Arena in the 200im?
Thanks!
No… He wore the LZR.
where are they getting these suits?