The Gators opened the Olympic
Swim Trials in fleeting fashion as one current and two former Gators earned the
opportunity to don the Red, White and Blue in London.
Gators and US Olympic Head
Coach Gregg Troy coached four of the first six Olympians to earn spots on the
2012 US Olympic Swim Team in Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.), Elizabeth
Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Peter Vanderkaay on the first night of competition of the 2012
Olympic Trials at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha,
Neb., Monday evening.
These kids bring out the
best in me,Ó said Troy when addressing the media. ÒItÕs nice to see them go out
there and give it their all.Ó
The night began with a
spectacular performance by Lochte in one of the most
anticipated races of the week – the menÕs 400 IM –
which pinned him against fellow competitor and USA Swimming phenom Michael Phelps. Lochte,
the two-time reigning World Champion, out swam Phelps -
who has not swum the race at a major meet since he claimed gold in Beijing at
the 2008 Olympics.
Lochte stamped his passport to London with a
personal-best 4:07.06 swim; Phelps followed at 4:07.89.
The first race is always the hardest,Ó
remarked Lochte. ÒI always feel like I can win. That
race is over now; I have so many more races left in this meet.Ó
After 300 meters and an
incredible breaststroke, Lochte broke away. His swim
is the fastest in the world this year, and an even better performance than his
2011 FINA World Championship-clinching race in Shanghai last summer. However,
it wasnÕt the first feat for Lochte to bypass on the
night. The win marked the first time that the Gator had dethroned Phelps in the
race.
We have the two best
swimmers in the world right now, and weÕll try and do our best in London,Ó
explained Lochte on his 400 IM performance against
Phelps. ÒDespite this, I still think that IÕm the hunter, thatÕs just my
mindset going into each year. I feel like IÕm the hunter trying to catch him [Phelps]
still.Ó
Gator swim caps continued to
dive into the water when Vanderkaay, training under
Troy, and Dwyer took to the pool for the 400 free. The duo finished one-two,
respectively, to each earn a spot on the Olympic squad. The trip is the third
of its kind for Vanderkaay, and the first ever for
Dwyer.
Its tough to put this into
words,Ó explained Dwyer after earning his spot on the Olympic squad. ÒItÕs just
a dream come true.Ó
Dwyer touched second in
3:47.83 – shaving three seconds off of his previous best swim in the
event.
I just put my head down,
just like practice,Ó said Dwyer. ÒI just wanted to get home and get that hand
on that wall.Ó
Beisel, who just completed her sophomore year at
Florida, will make her second trip to the Olympics, earning her ticket to
London with a first-place 4:31.74 effort in the womenÕs 400 IM – the lowest
mark of her career – faster than her 2011 FINA World Championship performance
and cruising past her own textile-best time (non-polyurethane suits) by .04, to
record the 10th-best time in history.
I was very surprised with
the time. I think coming into this meet a lot of people have confidence issues,
and I was one of them. Luckily, I have plenty of people to help calm me down,Ó
said Beisel. ÒI wasnÕt expecting that time, so it was
a good surprise. It felt so good to finally go fast tonight.Ó
The sophomore finished more
than two seconds ahead of Caitlin Leverenz, who
touched second, and will represent the US alongside Beisel
in London.
As a 15-year old, about to
enter her junior year of high school, Beisel finished
fourth in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
