OMAHA — A swim meet that is expected to produce numerous world records saw Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff both break the 400-meter individual medley mark on the first day of the U.S. Olympic Trials at the Qwest Center on Sunday.
Phelps took a big first step toward his goal of breaking Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven Olympic gold medals by winning the 400 IM in 4 minutes, 5.25 seconds, beating his 2007 world mark of 4:06.22. He beat Ryan Lochte of Gainesville, Fla., whose 4:06.08 also beat the old mark.
“This is one of the hardest events, but to start the meet the way I did makes me relax a bit now,” said Phelps, out of Ann Arbor, Mich. “It was my first race. Being able to get that under my belt early and get it out of the way gives me the opportunity to get in the pool and just race now.”
Lochte, whose personal best was 4:09.74, was deadlocked with Phelps with the final 100-meter freestyle to go. Phelps won it in the last 50 meters.
Hoff’s 4:31.12 broke the 4:31.46 that Australia’s Stephanie Ross set in breaking Hoff’s previous world record in March. Elizabeth Beisel, 15, of Saunderstown, R.I., finished in 4:32.87 for the second Olympic berth.
“It was definitely special,” said Hoff, like Phelps a Baltimore-area native. “Going into the meet, as far as thinking about world records, I was trying to keep that off my mind. . . . It didn’t happen for me until I stopped thinking about it.”
Larsen Jensen of Los Angeles set an American record in the 400 freestyle in 3:43.53. Peter Vanderkaay of Ann Arbor, the previous American-record holder, took second in 3:43.73.
The Loveland Swim Club’s Susan von der Lippe, at 42 the oldest woman in the history of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, had the 105th best time in the 100 butterfly at 1:02.47.
“It’s a much more relaxed, personal experience,” said the three-time Olympian. “My first two events are the first two days. A friend said, ‘Well, if you go to Beijing . . .’ and I said it would take a ‘parting of the Red Sea miracle’ for me to make it. ‘But, yes, if that happens, you can babysit my kids all summer and I’ll go.’ ”
Justin Day of the Air Force Academy finished 50th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.17.
