Janet Evans' comeback trail takes her to Olympic trials

Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Janet Evans of Laguna Beach, who is making a competitive comeback at age 40, qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials by meeting the time standard for the 400-meter freestyle Friday at the Austin Grand Prix.

Evans, who last competed in the Olympics in 1996, won her preliminary heat in the 400 in 4 minutes 17.27 seconds. That was more than two seconds under the qualifying time for the trials, which will be held in Omaha, Neb., beginning in late June and will determine the U.S. team for the London Olympics, which begin in late July.

Evans, a mother of two and a successful motivational speaker, told The Times a few months ago that she returned to swimming as a way to get fit and later decided to go for a trials berth.

"Swimming is in my soul, and I missed it and I needed it and it makes me feel kind of complete," she said.

Her time Friday was considerably slower than Allison Schmitt's winning time of 4:05.90, which broke the pool record set in 1988 by Evans at the Olympic trials. And Evans finished last in the "B" final Friday night with a time of 4:18:15.

Still, qualifying for the trials in that event was a major achievement for Evans, who does not consider the 400 her specialty.

"I was really nervous," she told reporters in Austin after her first race. "I'm usually a spectator in the stands these days, and now I'm down here with all the young kids."

Evans also plans to compete in the 800 freestyle in Austin on Sunday.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Janet Evans speaks to reporters after earning an Olympic trials qualifying time in the women's 400-meter freestyle preliminary race at the Austin Grand Prix on Friday. Credit: Michael Thomas / Associated Press

Ryan Lochte beats Michael Phelps again, sets world record

Ryan Lochte keeps proving that nothing is impossible. The U.S. swimmer has not only beaten superstar teammate Michael Phelps in consecutive races, he also has proved that world records can be broken even without high-tech bodysuits.

Lochte edged Phelps to win the 200-meter individual medley at the world championships in Shanghai, China, on Thursday with a time of 1 minute, 54.00 seconds, beating his old world record of 1:54.10 from two years ago when polyurethane suits still were allowed.

It's the first world record in a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool since the suits were banned last year.

"I wanted to do something that everyone thought was impossible," Lochte said. "Since they banned those suits, everyone thought a world record would never get touched again. I just wanted to show everyone that can happen. That's why we have records -- they're meant to get broken.

Michael Phelps is world's second-best in 200-meter freestyle

Michael Phelps may not be world champion in the 200-meter freestyle, but the superstar swimmer says he has nothing to complain about.

He's encouraged by his time of 1 minute, 44.79 seconds, which was good enough for second at the world championships Tuesday in Shanghai. Plus, he was runner-up to a good friend, U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte, who won the race in 1:44.44.

“I can't complain,” Phelps said. "I'm bummed I didn't win, but you know at the same time, with what we've done over the last six to eight months, I'm over a second faster than I was last year. … So I'm headed in the right direction.”

Phelps added of Lochte: “He's the only person I'll even say anything to in the ready room. We can joke around. ... We're super laid-back, super relaxed. We have fun. We love to race each other. … We bring the best out of each other.”

Another positive for Phelps is that he finished ahead of Paul Biedermann of Germany, who got the bronze in 1:44.88. Phelps was runner-up to Biedermann at the last world championships two years ago.

This time around Phelps led at the 50 and 100 marks before Lochte, who was in the next lane, made his move.

“I knew Michael wanted to go out just to clean water, so I knew I had to be in striking distance and just work what I'm good at — those underwaters on each turn,” said Lochte, who also beat Phelps in the 200 individual medley and 200 backstroke at last year's U.S. championships, then won six gold medals to Phelps' five at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2010.

Phelps also qualified third behind Japan's Takeshi Matsuda and China's Chen Yin in the 200 butterfly semifinals Tuesday.

ALSO:

Michael Phelps qualifies for world 200-meter freestyle final

U.S. men reach quarterfinals at water polo World Championships

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Ryan Lochte, right, and Michael Phelps on the podium Tuesday at the world championships in Shanghai. Credit: Michael Sohn / Associated Press

Michael Phelps qualifies for world 200-meter freestyle final

Michael Phelps kept his world championships on track Monday as he fought back in a "deadly field" to reach the final of the 200-meter freestyle.

U.S. teammates Phelps and Ryan Lochte both qualified for Tuesday's final at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, where a deep field of swimmers, including 2009 world champion Paul Biedermann of Germany, awaits.

"It's a studly field," Phelps said. "You can pretty much guarantee that it's going to be a tight group." Lochte had the third-fastest time.

Phelps, swimming next to Lochte, looked in danger of missing out on the final, but found an extra gear in the last 50 meters to qualify fifth fastest for Tuesday's final in a time of 1:46.91.

"I just wanted to try to get in. I don't really care where I am in the pool as long as I have a lane. That's all I need," he said. "I have my strategy on what I want to do tomorrow. I tried to conserve as much as I could. I wanted to see if I could step on it a little bit and then back off at the end.

ALSO:

NFL lockout just about over

Hollywood Gold Cup winner First Dude is retired after injury

 -- Houston Mitchell

Photo: Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte both advanced from the semifinal of the men's 200-meter freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai. Credit: Mark Ralston / Getty Images

Swimmer Jessica Hardy back on international stage

The quick looks of appraisal have a different look about them … for lack of a better word.

At least that’s the way swimmer Jessica Hardy has been feeling, of late, having been under a certain sense of scrutiny since the summer of 2008. Hardy tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol and missed the Beijing Olympics, ultimately serving a one-year suspension. She said the positive test came via a contaminated supplement.

More recently, Hardy and her legal team were successful in an appeal to the International Olympic Committee for clearance to compete for the chance to swim in the 2012 Olympics. Her biggest meet, and stage, since the Olympic trials in 2008 will be the world championships, which start Sunday in Shanghai.

She is expected to compete in the 50-meter freestyle, the 50 breaststroke and, possibly, other events, in addition to relays.

“I feel a different kind of attention,” said Hardy in an interview last month at a swim meet in Santa Clara. “It's definitely not like a scared curiosity from other people any more. Now it's kind of like recognition or a happiness, encouragement. That's how I feel.

“I feel more welcomed and less self-conscious, more excited and genuinely happy. … To just see the international people I haven't seen in a long time and to watch the American flag get raised, it will be really exciting and awesome to see that.”

On the blocks: Rebecca Soni preps for World Championships

The soft Salo ended up working.

Multi-medalist Rebecca Soni was warned about the post-Olympic lull, fully anticipated the concept and braced for it.

All that knowledge, still, didn’t prevent her from toying with the idea of stopping, having reached the summit with three medals (one of them gold) and a world-record performance in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Soni, now 24, said she “crashed and burned” after soldiering through the subsequent NCAA season with USC and then discussed her next move with her longtime coach, Dave Salo of the Trojan Swim Club.

“He said, ‘You’ve already achieved the top thing you can achieve,’” Soni said in a recent interview. “So if you want to quit, I think I would understand.’ I’m like, ‘Coach, come on. You’re supposed to make me want to get back in.’”

Reverse psychology?

“I think he was,” Soni said. “He didn’t want to push me into it, wanted me to do whatever I wanted to do. If I had stopped swimming, I probably would have missed it.

“…All through that last season until the [2009] World Championships, every day was back and forth. ‘Yes, I want to. No, I don’t want to. Yes, I want to.’ Four years seemed like a long time.”

Soni was talking with a couple of reporters during a meet last month in Santa Clara, the last competition of significance before the World Championships, which begin Sunday in Shanghai. It almost represents a full circle for Soni, who rediscovered her lost swimming mojo at the last Worlds, two summers ago in Rome.

Swimmer Jessica Hardy after IOC ruling: London Calling?

Jessica Hardy’s long legal battle ended when it was determined that she will be eligible to compete for a spot in the 2012 Olympics in London. The Long Beach swimmer, who tested positive for a banned substance not long before Beijing Olympics, was informed by the IOC she would not be subject to Rule 45, also known as the six-month rule.

"I am ecstatic that the IOC has recognized my unique situation, and that the rule does not apply to me," Hardy said Thursday in a statement issued by her lawyer Howard Jacobs.

"With this final hurdle now behind me, I can now focus 100% of my efforts on preparing for and representing my country at next year’s Olympic Games, a lifelong dream that was taken away from me in 2008.  I continue to be grateful for the numerous expressions of support I have received from teammates, competitors, and fans all over the world during this ordeal.”

Hardy had received a one-year suspension and that specific IOC rule could have kept her out of the London Games. That edict, put in place before the 2008 Olympics, prevents any athlete from competing in the next Olympics if the length of the suspension is more than six months.

Tribune colleague Philip Hersh offered his take on the IOC's show of common sense.

Hardy, perhaps, had the best take it all when she quoted Aristotle on her tweeter feed Thursday afternoon:

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

ALSO:

Michelle Kwan to co-chair International Olympic Committee conference

Marathon great Grete Waitz dies of cancer at age 57

-- Lisa Dillman

Photo: Jessica Hardy smiles after winning the women's 50-meter freestyle final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine on Aug. 21. Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press

Video: Star athletes using sports for good

Many sports figures make enough money to feed small countries and they often act as though they rule them, so, at times, it can be hard to remember what sports are really about.

But 48 star athletes haven't forgotten.

Marcus Allen (pro football Hall of Famer), Edwin Moses (gold medal-winning hurdler), Tony Hawk (legendary skateboarder), Mark Spitz (gold medal-winning swimmer) and Nadia Comaneci (gold medal-winning gymnast) are among a group of athletes who donate their time to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a London-based group that has backed more than 80 programs that help facilitate sports as a means for social change with disadvantaged youths. 

The organization has raised more than $50 million and helped more than 1 million children in 40 countries. Programs have included joint basketball games for members of the Crips and Bloods in Virginia and soccer games for youths in the slums of Sierra Leone.

According to a recent study commissioned by Laureus, for every $1.41 invested in youth sports projects, the cost that is typically paid for police, courts and victims gets reduced by $10.

As onetime South Africa President Nelson Mandela once said, "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."

-- Melissa Rohlin

USC's Katinka Hosszu named swimmer of meet at NCAA championships

USC’s Katinka Hosszu completed a successful weekend on Saturday, winning a third event and being selected swimmer of the meet at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Austin, Texas.

The junior from Hungary won the 200-yard butterfly in 1 minute 51.69 seconds, becoming the first USC woman to win the event.

Hosszu also won the 200-yard individual medley on Thursday and the 400-yard individual medley on Friday. She is the first USC swimmer to win three events since Kristine Quance in 1994 and 1996.

Hosszu, who competed for Hungary in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, also swam several relays for USC, which finished with 351 points, third behind champion California (424 points) and Georgia (394.5). It was USC’s first top-three finish since 2003 when the Trojans also placed third.

Hosszu, 21, said during a phone interview that she was happy to help the Trojans improve from their seventh-place finish in 2010.

“I am really proud of our team,” she said. “Hopefully, we can finish even higher next year.”

43-year-old Dara Torres is training for 2012 Olympics

 

Dara Torres' fountain of youth is more like a pool.

The 43-year-old, who at Beijing in 2008 became the first U.S. swimmer to compete in five Olympics, hopes to make her sixth appearance at the London Games in 2012.

Torres started swimming five weeks ago after recently having reconstructive knee surgery. She said her "heart and head are like, 'Yeah, let's go for it.'"

Competing against athletes half her age, she won three silver medals in Beijing at age 41.

-- Melissa Rohlin

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Dara Torres. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images.

Pan Pac update: Michael Phelps out of 200 medley

Michael Phelps withdrew Saturday morning from the preliminary heats of the 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, meaning there would be no rematch against rival Ryan Lochte in the event.

“Michael is going to skip the 200 IM this morning so he can concentrate on the [medley] relay tonight,” his coach Bob Bowman told reporters in the mixed zone before the heats on Saturday. “The reason for that [is] it’s going to take three really good swims to get through that and that at this point, neither one of us feel like he’s got three really good ones.

“We’d like the good one to be on the relay tonight. He has the responsibility to do that. He did a good time at nationals [in the 200 IM] we think will hold up. We’ll see how it plays out."

He said it had nothing to do with not wanting to lose to Lochte again. Lochte stunned Phelps in the 200 IM earlier this month at the U.S. nationals, beating him for the first time in that long course event in a major meet.

Bowman said it had to do with energy level. Or a lack of it.

“That was about all the gas that was in the tank after those two last night,” he said.

-- Lisa Dillman