Duel Details

Team USA wins Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool (8/2/2005)
BY JIM RUSNAK//Publishing Coordinator

IRVINE, Calif. – It was a much improved showing by Australia since the last time around, but the United States retained its title as top swimming nation in the world Tuesday after winning the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, 190-102.

A testimony to the team’s depth and overall dominance, American swimmers won 18 of 28 events in front of the sold-out crowd of 2,600 at the William J. Woollett Aquatic Center.

“When we have a home crowd like this and the excitement that we have, it carries us a long way,” U.S. star Michael Phelps said. “We knew it was going to be tough. The Aussies weren’t going to roll over and let us dominate. That’s how they are, and how they’ve always been.”

Phelps led Team USA Tuesday with four wins – in the 200m and 400m IM, 200m butterfly and the 400m medley relay. His victory in the 400m IM was his eighth consecutive win in that event, a streak that dates back to the spring of 2001. Over all distances, Phelps has 12 consecutive wins in the IM races.

“I treat every race the same,” Phelps said. “We all wanted to swim fast today and give something back to the crowd.”

Phelps’ teammate, Katie Hoff, agreed. Hoff won two events – the 200m and 400m IM – and finished third in the 200m freestyle. Her time of 4:37.06 was a U.S. Open record.

“There was great sportsmanship between the two teams, some great swims and a fun atmosphere,” Hoff said. “A dual meet is a totally different ballgame (from a World or National Championships). You don’t even have time to think. Once you get into the meet, you might be tired, but it’s not as nerve-racking. It’s definitely just a little easier to kind of keep going.”

Other U.S. swimmers winning multiple events included Ian Crocker in the 100m fly and the 400m medley relay; Brendan Hansen in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and the 400m medley relay; Jason Lezak in the 100m free and the 400m free relay; and Aaron Peirsol in the 100m and 200m backstroke and the 400m medley relay. The USA also swept four events, taking 1-2-3 in the men’s 100m fly, the men’s 200m IM, the men’s 200m breast and the men’s 50m free.

“Coming off the World Championships, it was a tough meet to step up multiple times and swim fast,” said U.S. captain and Irvine native Jason Lezak, “but I thought we did a good job of it. We were mentally prepared to swim fast because of the rivalry. We had to put aside the body aches and just race.”

Peirsol, an Orange County native swimming in his own backyard, has not lost the 200m back since he won silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and has swept the 100m and 200m backstrokes 10 times now in major national and international competitions.

“It was fantastic,” Peirsol said. “I couldn’t ask for a better meet as far as the competition goes, and the crowd. This was fun – the kind of stuff that keeps you rejuvenated and keeps you young. You’re exhausted, but you don’t think about it. You just go out and swim. It’s a great meet.”

Hansen has won six of his last seven races in the 100m breast, and his time of 2:10.07 was the second fastest time in the world this year, behind his swim last week at the FINA World Championships in Montreal.

“As far as getting up for the meet and getting excited, Mutual of Omaha did a great job of setting up the venue, so the atmosphere around the pool and from the people in the stands didn’t reflect that we were up by so much,” Hansen said. “Their energy really carried us through.”

The Australians rode a wave of talent on the women’s side, unofficially outscoring the American women 76-70 and setting U.S. Open records in three events – the 100m breast, the 400m free relay (3:38.72) and the 400m medley relay (3:58.93).

The top Australian stars included Leisel Jones, who won the 100m and 200m breast and the 400m medley relay; Jessicah Schipper, who won the 100m and 200m fly and the 400m medley relay; and Lisbeth Lenton, who won the 100m and 200m free and the 400m free relay; and Jodie Henry, who won the 50m free and 400m free and medley relays.

Jones’ swim in the 100m breast of 1:06.21 was the second fastest of all time and just one-hundredth off the world record set last week by American Jessica Hardy.

“Racing Leisel is always a fun race,” Hardy said. “I was very enthusiastic about it, and very proud to be a part (of the Duel).”

Schipper, meanwhile, played a key role in the Aussie women’s victory in the 400m medley, stepping up on the block just minutes after winning the 200m fly.

“I enjoyed the fight, mainly,” Schipper said. “Mainly because the odds are against the Australians, so we just wanted to come out and try our best. The girls backed me up a lot (in the medley), so that was good.”

U.S. team captain Natalie Coughlin, who won the 100m back, was complimentary of her rivals and was proud of the way her team responded to their challenge.

“It was really close (on the women’s side), which was exciting,” Coughlin said. “It shows how the women have been pushing each other for years now. We’re making them better, they’re making us better. It’ll be exciting to watch in the next three years.

“This meet turned out better than we anticipated. The atmosphere was so relaxed and so fun, I really enjoyed it.”

For complete results from the 2005 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, click here. Be sure to catch the broadcast from the event on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 4-6 p.m. ET and again on Sunday, Aug. 7, 12:30-2 p.m. ET, on NBC.