Katie Hoff posted an impressive victory in the 400 medley at the U.S. short-course championships in Federal Way, Wash. (photo by Reese Raybon)
No American records were set at the first U.S. championships of the post-technical suit era this past weekend in Federal Way, Wash., but the clock still told a few interesting tales.
A few notable moments siphoned from the results:
Katie Hoff earned a second in the 200-yard backstroke (1 minute, 53.65 seconds); second in 500 free (4:37.33, seven seconds off of her ’07 AR); and third in the 200 free (1:44.27) behind Dana Vollmer (1:42.36) and Dagny Knutson (1:42.61). Though the results were respectable, Hoff really impressed in the event she probably least wanted to impress — the grueling, painful 400 medley, which Hoff did not swim this past summer out of sheer dread of the event.
Hoff’s time in the medley (4:01.95) was not far from the American record Julia Smit set last March (4:00.56) and it was close to the 4:00.66 Hoff swam in ’07. Katinka Hosszu finished a distant second in the race in 4:04.17.
The men’s 400 medley, on the other hand, produced frightful times relative to Tyler Clary’s American record from the NCAA championships in March, when he posted a 3:34.98. The winner, Robert Margalis, came home in 3:45.24 and Clary, who finished third, registered a time (3:48.30) that was 13.32 seconds over his record. Ouch.
Dagny Knutson’s performance in the 500 free won her recognition for race of the meet; she gave Hoff’s ’07 American record (4:30.47) a run before falling short with her finish in 4:31.18.
Rebecca Soni gave chase to her own American record from last February in the 200 breaststroke, finishing in 2:05.12 — just .37 off the mark. She also claimed the 100 breast in 58.62, a bit farther behind Tara Kirk’s ’06 American record of 57.77.
Nathan Adrian won the 50 free (19.08, .37 off of his American record) and 100 free (41.80, the fourth-fastest ever) to further the argument that he is the fastest-rising sprinter in the United States.
Peter Vanderkaay won the 500 free in 4:12.60, four seconds off of his ’08 American record; he claimed the 200 free in 1:34.08, more than two seconds over David Walters’s AR of 1:31.72.
Ariana Kukors won the 200 medley in 1:55.40 — 2.61 seconds off of Julia Smit’s ’09 American best.
Eric Shanteau won the men’s 200 medley in 1:44.05, four seconds off of Ryan Lochte’s American record from 2007.
Vollmer won the 100 fly (51.39) and 200 free (1:42.36). She wasn’t chasing a suit-aided record in the 100 fly; that one (50.01) is still held by Natalie Coughlin from 2002. Vollmer holds the AR in the 200 (1:41.53).
In just his second competition since the Beijing Summer Games, four-time Olympic gold medal winner Kosuke Kitajima of Japan — who swims under Dave Salo at the University of Southern California — claimed second in the 100 breaststroke (52.44) behind Michael Alexandrov (52.07). Shanteau was third in 52.84.
Tags: Peter Vanderkaay, Ryan Lochte
stats corner
On Saturday night finals, it seem more people were watching fotball games in the lobby than watching the swimming. There were some good swim, but nothig to get excited about.
It should be noted that Katinka Hosszu, the girl Hoff beat by over 2 seconds in the 400 IM, is the WORLD CHAMPION!
She was good.