TEAM SPEEDO WRAP UP PAN PACS IN STYLE

23.08.2010

Team Speedo continued its impressive performance over the weekend at the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, which came to a close on Sunday. Team Speedo stars Michael Phelps (USA), Ryan Lochte (USA), Natalie Coughlin (USA), Dana Vollmer (USA), Jessica Hardy (USA), Tae Hwan Park (KOR) and Emily Seebohm (AUS) each earned gold medals in the final days of competition as Team USA closed out the meet with a total of 51 medals – 27 gold, 17 silver and seven bronze.

On Friday, Team Speedo star Tae Hwan Park (KOR) won the men’s 400m free in 3:44.73, the top-ranked time in the world this year. Park, the Olympic gold medalist in this event, defended his Pan Pac title from 2006 and set a new championship record. Ryan Cochrane of Speedo-sponsored Team Canada won silver in 3:46.78 and China’s Zhang Lin won bronze in 3:46.91; Team Speedo’s Peter Vanderkaay (USA) finished fifth. All three medalists were wearing the Speedo LZR Racer Elite.

Team Speedo’s Dana Vollmer (USA) won her first individual Pan Pacific gold medal thanks to a strong finish in the women’s 100m fly, touching first in 57.56. Teammate (and fellow Team Speedo star) Christine Magnuson won silver in 57.95 while Australia’s Alicia Coutts finished third in another podium sweep for the Speedo LZR Racer Elite. Michael Phelps set a new championship record in the men’s 100m fly, winning gold in 50.86 for his second individual gold medal of the meet.

Ryan Lochte, arguably the most dominant swimmer in these championships, returned to the pool in the men’s 200m backstroke and won his fourth gold medal of the meet with a Pan Pacific record time 1:54.12, crushing the previous top-ranked time in the world in a head-turning swim. Team USA’s Tyler Clary, who solidified his place on the world stage at this meet, won silver in 1:54.90, now the second-fastest swim in the world this year.

Team Speedo’s Jessica Hardy (USA) clocked a blazing fast time of 30.03, the third fastest ever, in the 50m breaststroke to win her first individual gold medal of the meet. Australia’s Leiston Pickett finished second in 30.75 while teammate and Team Speedo star Leisel Jones (AUS) won bronze in 30.78.

Friday night came to an end with two of the most exciting events of the night – the men’s and women’s 400m free relay. The women were up first and the U.S. women continued their impressive relay showing winning gold in 3:35.11, a new Pan Pacific record. Team Speedo’s Natalie Coughlin, Jessica Hardy and Dana Vollmer each had strong swims, helping the U.S. win its second straight women’s relay title of the Championships. Speedo-sponsored Team Australia and Speedo-sponsored Team Canada, led by Speedo stars Emily Seebohm (AUS) and Erica Morningstar (CAN), won silver and bronze respectively.

But it was the men’s 400m free relay that left everyone talking, as Michael Phelps, in the lead-off leg for Team USA, clocked a blazing fast 48.13 – a time that would have actually won gold in the men’s 100m freestyle here at the meet. Phelps put Team USA ahead and the men never looked back as Ryan Lochte, Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian combined for a gold medal finish in 3:11.74, a new meet record. The men’s 400m freestyle gold medal was the fourth for Phelps and the fifth for Lochte. Team Australia, which included Speedo star Eamon Sullivan, and Team South Africa, won silver and bronze.

On Saturday, Team Canada’s Ryan Cochrane won his second gold medal of the meet, finishing first in the men’s 800m freestyle in 7:48.71. It was a sweep of the distance events for Cochrane, who also won gold in the 1500m free. Cochrane wore the Speedo LZR Racer Elite in both his gold medal wins.

Team Speedo star Emily Seebohm (AUS) out-touched World Record-holder Ariana Kukors of the USA in the women’s 200m IM, winning gold in 2:09.93, a new meet record. In the men’s 200m IM, Speedo star Ryan Lochte (USA) ignited the crowd with a stellar swim, just under World Record pace, winning gold in 1:55.84 for a new meet record and his sixth gold medal of the meet. Tyler Clary (USA) won silver in 1:57.61 and Brazil’s Thiago Pereira finished third.

Team Speedo’s Jessica Hardy (USA) continued to show her sprint dominance with a gold in the women’s 50m free, lowering the meet record and touching first in 24.63. It was Hardy’s third gold of the meet.

In the women’s 200m breaststroke, Team Speedo star Leisel Jones won silver in 2:23.23 behind USA’s Rebecca Soni.

Team Speedo star Brent Hayden (CAN) won bronze in the men’s 50m free in 21.89, continuing a strong showing in the sprint freestyles. Following the sprints, Team Speedo distance star Kate Ziegler won silver in the women’s 1500m freestyle in 15:55.01.

The swimming competition came to a close at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center on Saturday night and Team USA showed no sign of slowing down as both the U.S. women and men won gold in the 400m medley relay. The U.S. women’s team, which included Speedo’s Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer and Jessica Hardy, lowered the meet record with a gold medal time of 3:55.23. The U.S. men, led by Phelps, completed their relay sweep with gold in 3:32.48.

In the open water competition on Sunday, Team USA’s Chip Peterson and Christine Jennings won gold in the men’s and women’s 10K.

Team USA finished the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships atop the leader board, first in team medals and points (348.50), ahead of Team Australia, which finished second overall, and the Japanese Federation, which finished third. Speedo star Ryan Lochte (USA), with six gold medals (200m free, 400m IM, 200m IM, 200m back, 400m free relay and 800m free relay), was the most decorated swimmer of the meet. The world’s eyes now look ahead to the 2010 FINA World Championships in Dubai in December.

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