(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill).
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Cal’s Anthony Ervin and Nathan Adrian went one and two (0.05 of a second difference) in the 50 freestyle semifinals.
Finals: 50 freestyle (W), 1,500 freestyle (M).
The United States is assembling an Olympic swimming team that Michael Phelps hardly recognizes. “Why I had to miscount in the most important race of my life (at the time) is a mystery”.
Phelps competed in lane seven after a sluggish swim in the semifinals.
But Phelps powered to the front, as he has done so many times. Even with a long glide to the wall, he finished in 51 seconds dead.
When Phelps saw the “1” beside his name, he pounded the water and pointed toward his family – including 7-week-old son Boomer – up in the stands.
And after this last joust in American water, there is nothing left but a final act in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Phelps said he was conscious of that milestone as the race approached, and coach Bob Bowman asked him what his game plan was.
“I knew going into this race it was going to be a dogfight until the end”, Lochte said. She introduced herself to the world in 2012 by winning the 800 free at the trials and going on to capture gold in the event at the London Olympics, all at age 16.
Ledecky also eyes her third victory in Omaha.
His 200 time isn’t among the world’s best, but his 100 time is fourth this season, which indicates he’s on the fringe of a medal-contention breakthrough. She swam the 100 three times here at U.S. Olympic trials before finishing seventh and failing to qualify for a spot in the individual event and also for a 4×100 relay spot. Lochte has now finished second to Phelps in this event at four straight Olympic trials.
The 31-year-old dropped out of the 200 backstroke on Thursday to focus on the 200 IM.
“We did everything that we wanted to do”, Phelps said.
Phelps, 31, was pleased with his wins here but insists he’ll have to be faster to add to his record 22 Olympic medals.
After Ledecky cruised to a preliminary victory Friday in 8:10.91, and received a postrace hug from Evans, the idea of dropping about five seconds in the final to set a world record seemed within reach. She came in at 8:20.18 – a personal best.
“Probably, (but) it was a awful finish”, Phelps said. Simone Manuel (24.33) claimed the second Olympic spot in a repeat of their 1-2 finish in the 100 free.
Having already collected wins in the 200 and 400, Ledecky’s transformation from distance diva to speed queen hit a bump, denting her hopes of landing a spot on one of the U.S. relay teams.
Wilimovsky touched at 14:49.19, more than 17 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Michael McBroom. She’ll be busy enough as it is.
“This is a dream”, DiRado said.
“It was definitely really something that I’m going to take to heart”, Lochte said. “There’s so much room for improvement”.
The meet finished with only two American men, Josh Prenot (200 breast) and Ryan Murphy (100 back), at the top of the world rankings, and just two women in Katie Ledecky (200, 400, 800 free) and Lilly King (100 breast) atop the lists. Still, it was another dominating performance by a swimmer who surprisingly captured gold in the 800 free four years ago, but will go into Rio as one of the biggest favorites in any sport. “I’m here to be the best of who I am right now”.
It is Lochte who holds the world record in the event (1:54.00) from 2011.
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This time, Adrian swept the sprint events.
