Japan Pulls Another Upset, Shibata Touches Out Hoff in 400 Free

VICTORIA, British Columbia, Aug. 19. ANOTHER Japanese swimmer shocked an American female at the 2006 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, this time it was Ai Shibata overcoming Katie Hoff in the 400-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Witnessing her countrywoman Hanae Ito knock off the vaunted Natalie Coughlin in the 100-meter backstroke on the first day of competition must have worked wonders for Shibata’s confidence as she touched out Hoff, 4:07.61 to 4:07.98, for gold.

Shibata’s game plan must have been to hang with Hoff through the initial 350 meters and beat the American on the sprint towards home as Shibata trailed Hoff, 3:38.08 to 3:37.25, at the 350-meter mark. Shibata, however, dropped a 29.53 split during the final 50 against Hoff’s 30.73 to capture the title.

Meanwhile, Shibata’s teammate Sachiko Yamada held off America Kate Ziegler, after taking a lead over Ziegler at the halfway mark, for bronze as Yamada stopped the clock in 4:08.42 compared to Ziegler’s 4:08.47.

The outcome of this race should certainly provide some extra motivation to Hoff and Ziegler as they work towards the ultimate showdown against the Japanese in Beijing.

Click Here to view event results PDF file

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