Broken record, broken record
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OMAHA -- It’s getting to be a familiar scene. Someone lowers a record time, and about two minutes later, it gets dropped again.
That’s what happened to Jason Lezak of Irvine, who went 48.15 seconds in the preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials here today in the 100-meter freestyle, bettering his own American record -- 48.17 set at the 2004 trials.
No sooner had Lezak walked up to the microphone in the mixed zone to talk to reporters did someone else take it away in the next heat.
It was Garrett Weber-Gale of Longhorn (Texas) Aquatics, who went 47.78.
Lezak shrugged, saying: ‘Records are made to be broken.’
Said Weber-Gale: ‘I knew I had to do something. I knew it was going to be really fast in there.’
Michael Phelps also went under the old American mark, going 47.92, which was the second-fastest qualifying time. But he won’t be swimming in the semifinals of the 100 later tonight, according to his coach, Bob Bowman. They merely wanted Phelps to put up a time so that there would not be controversy about the 400-meter relay, the way it unfolded in Athens.
Bowman was not tempted to have Phelps do a difficult double tonight: the semifinals of the 100 freestyle and the final of the 200 butterfly with less than half an hour between the events.
‘That double tonight is cruel and unusual,’ Bowman said. ‘I wouldn’t ask anybody to do it.’
Phelps said he wished the Olympic schedule was longer than eight days so that he could swim more events. He didn’t seem to be joking, either. But even he has limitations.
‘That was my goal this morning, to post the time that allows me to swim the relay,’ he said of the 400-meter relay.
He thought the fast times in the preliminaries boded well for the relay, particularly against the formidable French team.
‘Two guys went under 48 [seconds],’ he said, speaking of himself and Weber-Gale. ‘It’s a good sign for our relay.’
Brendan Hansen was the fastest qualifier in the preliminaries of the 200-meter breaststroke, going 2:11.29.
Hansen’s roommate here is Aaron Peirsol, who lowered his own world record in winning the 100 backstroke on Tuesday night.
‘He came back on cloud nine, maybe even 10,’ Hansen said. ‘I think that’s the most nervous he’s ever been for a race.’
-- Lisa Dillman
Top photo: Neil Walker, left, Jason Lezak and Nick Brunelli dive in for the preliminary heats of the 100-meter freestyle. Lezak broke the American record and held it for a few minutes. Credit: Donald Miralle / Getty Images
Top inset: Jason Lezak after setting the record. Credit: Al Bello /Getty Images
Lower inset: Garrett Weber-Gale celebrates breaking the record just set by Lezak. Credit: Mark Terrill/ Associated Press
