Pan Pacific Championships, Day Three Prelims: Van Mathias Chasing 50 Breast Crown
Fresh off his win in the 100 breaststroke and near miss of his American record, Van Mathias will be in the pool again on Friday morning at the Pan Pacific Championships in the 50 breast.
Mathias was the top seed in the event at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatics Center but had to settle for second in prelims, .02 behind the meet record of Michael Houlie. It’s the last of four in the morning session on Day 3. It’s one of many that will include pitched battles for placement among Americans, with the 100 fly in particular a daunting contest.
All the action:
400 freestyle
Sam Short set the pace by winning the final heat in 3:44.34 to grab the top seed. Fourth was countryman Elijah Winnington in 3:45.48, also out of the final heat, with China’s Zhang Zhanshou in 3:45.17 and Aaron Shackell’s 3:45.23 between them.
Zhang won the third heat of four with a final-50 charge after Shackell had led the entire way. The Chinese swimmer’s long, fluid stroke added power coming home in 3:45.17, .06 up on Shackell. Benjamin Goedemans of Australia surged to third in the heat but third among Aussies in 3:46.07 for a B final spot.
Rex Maurer advance as the second American with his 3:47.12 in the second heat, besting Luke Hobson’s 3:48.97. Maurer was eighth overall.
Kazushi Imafuku was fifth for Japan, with Tatsuya Murasa ninth and in the A final. The other A finalist is Stephan Steverink of Brazil.
100 butterfly
Matthew Temple set the best time at 50.84 seconds, .02 ahead of Luca Urlando. The American set his best time in 50.86, nearly a half-second quicker than his seed. The champion of the 50 fly, Ben Armbruster, was third in 50.98 to ease into a final-eight spot.
There is drama, though. Third overall is a tie between Americans, with Dare Rose and Shaine Casas both going 51.17. A resolution, potentially by swim-off, is required for one to get into the A final and one the B (each final has a maximum of two participants per nation). Thomas Heilman and Harrison Turner tied for fifth overall, but that doesn’t matter since both are bound for the B final.
The A final also will include Japan’s Shoon Mitsunaga and Katsuhiro Matsumoto, with Chen Juner of China in between them.
The swimoff was stellar, an Old West showdown with the musical treatment to match. Casas was two tenths ahead at the wall, but Rose looked to surge coming home. At the touch, Casas went long and Rose hit a short stroke, wit Casas getting the spot in 51.00 by .01 seconds.
200 backstroke
Keaton Jones led the way in a sedate men’s 200 back with a time of 1:55.24 seconds. He was .5 seconds up on Japan’s Yumuki Kojima. Canada had two finishers in the top four, with Ethan Ekk going 1:56.25 and a 1:56.49 from Blake Tierney. Daniel Diehl’s 1:56.80 made him the second American, with Jack Aikins in the B final.
Hidekazu Takehara made it two Japanese swimmers in the A final. Australia placed Stuwart Swinburn and Se-Bom Lee in the A final.
50 breaststroke
Michael Houlie took the top seed out of prelims in 26.40. That displaces what he been the meet record of his off the front of the 100 breast when the South African went 26.60. It’s just off his best time from Commonwealth Games at 26.38 that was the 28th-best performance of all time.
Second was Van Mathias in 26.42. In the final heat of 3, he just outtouched the 26.46 of Sam Williamson. It’s three tenths back to the second American, Michael Andrew, in 26.76.
Japan has two in the A final in Taku Taniguchi in fifth and Yamato Okadome in sixth.
