Three-time Olympian Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) eclipsed the men’s 100m butterfly record on the third day of the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships with a time of 50.22. Twelve-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres (Parkland, Fla.) qualified for the World Championships team in the 50m freestyle.
“I was pretty happy with my swim,” Phelps said. “I really wanted to break :50, but that is something to shoot for. Ian Crocker texted me after prelims. He wished me all the luck. That really meant a lot to me as a competitor and as a friend.”
Tyler McGill (Champaign, Ill.) hit the wall after Phelps, earning a silver medal in a time of 51.06. In a surprise third-place finish, Olympic backstroker Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.) coveted a bronze medal with a time of 51.30.
Torres, who has competed on five Olympic teams, but has only competed on one world championship team, secured her spot at just her second World Championships when she posted the top time of 24.43. Olympian Amanda Weir (Lawrenceville, Ga.) was the runner-up in 24.70.
Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J.) set an American record and qualified for the World Championship Team with her win in the women’s 100m breast. Soni, who won silver in the same event in Beijing, led the field the entire way to win in 1:05.34. Kasey Carlson (Walnut Creek, Calif.), who surged from third to second in the final 10 meters of the race, finished in 1:06.54.
The men’s 50m freestyle saw an exciting splash-and-dash race, as four Olympians battled for the gold. Olympian Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash.) got his hand on the wall just .03 seconds ahead of his 2008 Olympic teammates Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.) and Garrett Weber-Gale (Milwaukee, Wisc.). Adrian’s time was 21.53. Jones and Weber-Gale, who tied for second place, will compete in a swimoff on Saturday evening for a place on the World Championship team.
Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I) earned a spot on the U.S. World Championship Team with a win in the women’s 400m I.M. Beisel took the lead in the backstroke and was able to hold off Julia Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.), to win in 4:36.31. Smit, who surged from sixth to second place during the breaststroke, finished behind Beisel in 4:36.73.
To view live footage of Nationals, visit www.swimnetwork.com.
