Olympic Gold Medalist Matt McLean Smokes Time Trial Before Dual Meet

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, January 20. PRIOR to his alma mater Virginia sweeping North Carolina in a dual meet yesterday, Olympic gold medalist Matt McLean decided to throw on a jammer and let it fly in a 200-yard freestyle time trial.

It was a good choice as he scorched the event with a sizzling time of 1:33.57. That's his fourth fastest time ever, behind a 1:32.80 at the 2009 Atlantic Coast Championships while representing the Cavaliers, and two other collegiate times in 2011 (1:33.22) and 2009 (1:33.51) at the NCAA Division I Men's Championships.

His top time at ACCs ranks him among the top 20 swimmers ever in the swim. To be less than a second off that time unshaved and unrested is a good indicator that McLean is ready to roll the rest of the season.

“I just threw on a jammer and went for it,” McLean told Swimming World. “I was not expecting that time. I really feel like I'm getting back on that horse right now.”

McLean won a gold medal as part of the Stars and Stripes' 800-meter free relay in London as a preliminary swimmer. He earned that right with a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter free with a 1:46.78 at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha.

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