Phelps, Peirsol make big splash

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-6  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

MICHAEL Phelps roared to another world record, Aaron Peirsol equaled one and Dara Torres had a swim for the ages as the US Olympic trials produced plenty of Independence Day fireworks on Friday.

Phelps, who has targeted Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Games in Beijing, added the 200 meters individual medley to his Olympic program in spectacular style, storming home in a world record one minute, 54.80 seconds in Omaha, Nebraska.

Chased to the wall by good friend and rival Ryan Lochte, Phelps shaved 0.18 seconds of his old mark of 1:54.98 set at last year's world championships in Melbourne.

It was the seventh world record to fall at the trials and the second by Phelps, who bettered his own record in the 400 IM on Sunday.

"I was just trying to win the race," Phelps told reporters. "I knew Ryan, even though he had just swum the 200 meter back 30 minutes before, was going to be tough.

"Both of us hate to lose. Getting in the water with him, that last three or four races it has taken a world record to win."

Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol completed the backstroke double, touching first in the 200 but needed a world record-equaling 1:54.32 to hold off Lochte in the most thrilling race of the night.

Lochte, who had set the record in Melbourne last year, was just 0.02 behind.

Torres' victory in the 100 freestyle was the most emotional, the near-capacity crowd of over 14,000 at the Qwest Center leaping to its feet when the 41-year-old mother touched first to qualify for her fifth Olympic Games.

Torres, who won the first of her nine Olympic medals in Los Angeles in 1984, before Phelps was even born, becomes the oldest female swimmer to compete at a Games.

"I can't believe it, I made the Olympics team," said Torres, who was cheered on by her husband and one-year-old daughter Tessa in the stands. "I'm going to Beijing."