MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (August 1, 2008) On the fourth day of competition, Longhorn Aquatics teammates Nick Thoman (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Hayley McGregory (Houston, Texas) closed in on the world records in the 100m backstroke at the 2008 U.S Open. Both swimmers lowered the meet record in the event and earned their second gold medals of the competition.Thoman became the second person to ever swim under 53 seconds in the men’s 100m back when he stopped the clock at 52.92. His time was just .03 off of the world record, and is the second-fastest posted in the world this year.
“That swim came out of nowhere,” Thoman said. “I just wanted to go a best time. I felt great, so I just let it rip. I was lucky that I had some great guys to swim against. Without competition, you can’t do anything.
“At Trials I didn’t swim my own race. I stayed in my own head here rather than get in everybody else’s. The plan is to stick around for four years if my body allows it. I am just ecstatic. I am so excited.”
Japan’s Masafumi Yamaguchi and Great Britain’s Matt Clay finished second and third in times of 53.94 and 54.22, respectively.
McGregory flipped under world record pace at the 50-meter mark in the women’s 100m back. The three-time National Champion posted a final time of 59.20, to finish just .23 off the world record and collect her second gold medal of the meet. McGregory’s time of 59.11 in the preliminary session was a U.S. Open meet record and was .14 off the world record.
“It feels good to be swimming fast three weeks after Trials,” McGregory said. “There is a lot less pressure here. I am proving some things to myself and am having a lot of fun.”
Japan’s Aya Terakawa clocked a time of 1:00.68 for the silver medal, and Lauren Rogers (Concord, Calif.) swam the third-fastest time of 1:00.92.
Mary Descenza (Naperville, Ill.) and Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) kicked off the evening with a battle for the gold in the women’s 200m freestyle. In a sprint for the wall in the last 50 meters, both swimmers touched in at 1:59.43 to share the U.S. Open title. The win was Descenza’s third for the week. Descenza’s teammate Chelsea Nauta (Tampa, Fla.) took home the bronze in 2:00.22.
“I came in to the meet with an open mind,” Descenza said. “I wanted to get out there and race. I am coming back with four best times. That says a lot about my training.”
In a three-way race for first, Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.) got his hand on the wall first for the third time at U.S. Open when he stopped the clock at 1:47.66. Bobby Bollier (Mission Hills, Kan.) took second in 1:48.13, and Scot Robison (Charlotte, NC) was third in 1:48.48.
Turning third at the wall, Olympian Scott Usher (Grand Island, Neb.) hammered home the final 25 meters to pull out his second victory in the 100m breast in a time of 1:01.37. Kevin Swander (Carmel, Ind.) touched in a half second later at 1:01.75 to out swim Great Britain’s James Gibson by .06 for the silver. Gibson earned the bronze in 1:01.81.
In the women’s 100m breaststroke, Michelle McKeehan (Franklin, Ind.) picked up her first victory of the competition in a time of 1:08.61. Annie Chandler (San Antonio, Texas) followed in second with a time of 1:09.26, while Corrie Clark (Malvern, Pa.) rounded out the top three in 1:09.48.
The meet will conclude tomorrow with prelims beginning at 9 a.m., and finals beginning at 6 p.m., when the men’s and women’s 50m free and 200m IM will be swum, as well as the women’s 1500m free and men’s 800m free.
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