Melbourne, Australia – They couldn’t have choreographed it any better. Brendan Hansen and Kosuke Kitajima bobbed up and down in perfect unison, their rivalry renewed in the murky waters of a temporary pool set up on the floor of a tennis arena.
They never looked at each other. They didn’t have to. They’ve been right on each other’s shoulder for three years.
As the wall approached, Han- sen stretched out his arms, felt for the timing pad and touched it just ahead of the Japanese star.
Score another one for the American in one of swimming’s best matchups.
“If there was synchro swimming (for men), me and him should team up,” Hansen quipped Monday night, savoring his win by 0.16 of a second over the only man who can challenge him in the 100-meter breaststroke. “It’s just one of those things where he brings out the best in me and I bring out the best in him.”
If you like that matchup, how about this one? Michael Phelps vs. Pieter van den Hoogenband in their first duel in the pool since the 2004 Athens Olympics, the so-called “Race of the Century.” If only Ian Thorpe was still around, but he retired.
Phelps and van den Hoogenband will meet in the 200- meter freestyle, a major test in the American’s plans to challenge for eight gold medals at next year’s Beijing Olympics. One person who surely will be watching is Mark Spitz, who set the standard of seven golds in Munich 35 years ago.
“I’m going to find it on a TV,” said Spitz, who’s in Melbourne on business but couldn’t be at Rod Laver Arena for tonight’s race. “If he wins against Pieter van den Hoogenband, it’s going to really make him feel a lot of confidence that he has a chance now to win seven gold medals.”
Phelps occupied himself this morning by qualifying first for the 200 butterfly semifinals. The world record-holder clocked 1 minute, 55.78 seconds.
“I felt good,” he said. “The only thing that was really big was the last 50. I just had to turn it on.”
Davis Tarwater surprised himself by having the next- best time behind Phelps.
“It’s more than I could ask for,” Tarwater said.
In the 200 freestyle semifinals, Phelps was second-quickest behind van den Hoogenband, who was under Thorpe’s world-record pace through 100 before falling off and finishing in 1:46.33. Phelps’ time was 1:46.75.
