Katie Hoff dives off the block in her 400 free qualifying heat of the Pan Pacific Championships. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
IRVINE, Calif., — Just two weeks after a convincing victory in the 400-meter freestyle at the U.S. championships, Katie Hoff failed to advance to Friday’s final in the event at the Pan Pacific Championships when she was outraced to wall in her heat by Great Fall’s Kate Ziegler.
Hoff’s time of 4 minutes, 8.93 seconds was the fifth-fastest Friday morning, but it was surpassed by U.S. teammates Chloe Sutton (4:07.64), Allison Schmitt (4:08.47) and Ziegler (4:08.63), who also did not advance to the final. At this meet, only two swimmers from each nation can take part in the eight-person final.
Though Hoff, the Olympic silver-medal winner in the event who grew up in Towson, secured a spot on next summer’s world championship team as a member of the 200-freestyle relay, her hopes of competing in the individual 400 in Shanghai now rest on Sutton and Schmitt. If both surpass Hoff’s winning time of 4:05.50 from nationals, Hoff will not be eligible to compete in the event.
“Obviously,” Hoff said, “I’m hoping my time holds up for worlds.”
Hoff, who shared a gold medal with the U.S. women’s 4×200 relay team Thursday night, went out fast and led until Ziegler caught up with her in the last 15 meters. Ziegler already won an individual 800 free and is also entered in Saturday’s 1,500 free. Hoff will compete in the 200 medley, but it’s not an event on which she has focused this year.
“I have no idea how I will do,” she said. “I’m just going to go out there [and try] to be pretty relaxed and go for it. I have nothing to lose.”
Peirsol shut out of final
Seven-time Olympic medalist Aaron Peirsol once again misfired on a morning heat. And on Friday, no American was willing to offer Peirsol a gift entry into the night’s 200-backstroke final.
Earlier in the week, Peirsol won a gold medal in the 100 backstroke after Ryan Lochte gave up his spot in the final simply because he didn’t want to crowd his schedule by swimming the event.
Lochte topped the field Friday morning with his time of 1:55.26, just ahead of Tyler Clary’s 1:55.56, but he was determined to swim the event in the night’s final to try to bring his number of gold medals here to four.
Peirsol’s time of 1:56.22 was fourth-best overall.
“Nothing I can do about it,” Peirsol said. “The time I had to do wasn’t easy.”
Phelps seeks comeback
A day after failing to advance to the 400-medley final, Michael Phelps posted the fastest time of the morning in the 100 butterfly, coming home in 51.48 seconds. American Tyler McGill was second in 51.69.
Phelps is seeking his second gold medal of the meet after winning the 200 fly on Wednesday.
“I feel a little bit better today than I have the last couple of days,” Phelps said. “Probably because there are only two laps [in the event] instead of four.”
Tags: Allison Schmitt, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte
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