World Championships: American Hopes High for 100 Backstroke Final

By John Lohn

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 26. COULD the United States be gearing up for a one-two finish in the championship of the men's 100 backstroke? From the results of the semifinals, that outcome is very much a possibility.

Swimming in the second semifinal, Ryan Lochte established a championship record with a time of 53.51, a personal-best effort that bettered Aaron Peirsol's meet standard of 53.61 from Barcelona in 2003. Lochte's effort was the seventh-fastest in history and made him the fourth-quickest performer. Lochte is the short-course world-record holder in the event.

"Going in tonight I was just thinking about getting a lane for tomorrow night," Lochte said. "There were no plans for a championship record, so that came as a big surprise."

As for Peirsol, who holds the global record at 53.17 and is seeking a third consecutive championship, he qualified third for the championship race with a time of 53.92. Peirsol looked comfortable and smooth throughout his race and looks to have a lot left in the tank for tomorrow. Finishing in between Lochte and Peirsol for the second slot in the final was Great Britain's Liam Tancock, who won the second semifinal in 53.71, good for a Commonwealth record.

Also cracking the 54-second mark and claiming the fourth position for the final was Austrian Markus Rogan, a Stanford product who checked in at 53.98. Arkady Vyatchanin, the European champion from Russia, was fifth in 54.30. The rest of the field for the final includes South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg (54.54), Japan's Tomomi Morita (54.77) and Aussie Matt Welsh (54.92).

Click Here to view event results PDF file.

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