Lochte Joins Record-Breaking Frenzy

Sets Mark in 200m Backstroke and 800m Free Relay

March 30, 2007

From USA Swimming

MELBOURNE, Australia - Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) produced the upset of Friday night's finals, as he set the world record in the 200m backstroke at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne by defeating former world record holder, Aaron Peirsol. Lochte returned later to set a second world mark as part of the 800m freestyle relay with teammates Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Klete Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.).

The performances brought Team USA's totals to 10 world records and 23 medals in the meet so far. Team USA has won 13 golds, nine silvers and one bronze and leads the medal count. 

Lochte's victory in the 200m back broke a seven-year streak for former world record-holder Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.), who had not lost in that event at an international competition since taking silver at the 2000 Olympic Games. Peirsol led for much of the race before Lochte pulled ahead in the final 50 to touch in 1:54.32, more than a tenth of a second faster than the world mark of 1:54.44 that Peirsol set at last year's Pan Pacific Championships. Peirsol finished almost a half second behind in 1:54.80 for the silver, while Austria's Markus Rogan earned bronze with a time of 1:56.02.

The men's 800m free relay dominated the race from start to finish, posting a time of 7:03.24 to take down Australia's world mark of 7:04.66 set at the 2001 World Championships. The American relay was the same that has swam together since the 2004 Olympic Games - and that has broken the American record each summer since then. Silver medalist Australia was almost seven seconds off the pace in 7:10.05, and Canada won the bronze in 7:10.70.  

Not to be outdone, Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) got in on the record action, setting the American record in the semifinals of the women's 200m back. Hoelzer, who celebrated her 24th birthday today, swam at 2:07.70 to take down Natalie Coughlin's former record of 2:08.53. Hoelzer will be the top seed heading into tomorrow evening's final, while 14-year-old Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) did not advance. Beisel, who is competing in her first world championships, finished 12th in 2:12.09.

In other finals action, Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash.) tied for the silver medal in the 200m breaststroke, marking her first individual world medal. Jendrick touched the wall in 2:25.94, equaling Britain's Kirsty Balfour. Australian Leisel Jones was more than four seconds ahead of the rest of the field, earning her second gold of the meet with a time of 2:21.84.

Coughlin narrowly missed a medal in the 100m free, finishing fourth with a time of 53.87. Australia's Libby Lenton won gold in championship-record time of 53.40. Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands was the silver medalist, while Germany's Britta Steffen earned bronze.

In the men's 200m breaststroke, Eric Shanteau (Atlanta, Ga.) missed the medal mark, touching in 2:11.50 for fifth place. In a race in which world record-holder Brendan Hansen was noticeably absent, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima regained the world title, finishing in 2:09.80 for the gold medal. Australia's Brenton Rickard captured silver, and Italy's Loris Facci was the bronze medalist.

In other semifinal action, five Americans comfortably advanced to tomorrow evening's finals in their respective events. Ian Crocker (Portland, Maine) is the top seed in the 100m butterfly while Phelps sits in fourth. Swimming side-by-side in the same heat, Crocker posted a time of 51.41; Phelps touched in 51.92.

Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.) earned the second seed in the 50m free, notching a semi-final time of 22.00 behind Sweden's Stefan Nystrand. Ben Wildman-Tobriner (San Francisco, Calif.) also advanced to the finals as the sixth seed (22.23).

Rachel Komisarz (Louisville, Ky.) will vie for a medal in the final of the women's 50m fly as the third seed in tomorrow night's final. Komisarz's time of 26.48 was more than six-tenths behind top seed Therese Alshammar of Sweden, who set a championship record of 25.82. Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.), who won a silver medal last night in the 200m fly, did not advance to the final, finishing 12th (26.99).

Preliminary heats in five events will be contested on Saturday morning, including: women's 50m free, men's 50m back, women's 50m breast, men's 1500m free and women's 400m medley relay. Footage of the world and American record performances, as well as all the action from tonight's finals, is available on-demand at wcsn.com.