By John Lohn
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 2. ONE race to go and Brendan Hansen will have the chance to go after another Olympic double. Two nights after qualifying for the Beijing Games in the 100 breaststroke, Hansen shifted into cruise control to secure the No. 1 seed for the championship final of the 200 breaststroke.
Under world-record pace with a lap remaining, Hansen eased off the accelerator and conserved some energy for the final. Still, he turned in the 10th-fastest time in history, a clocking of 2:09.60 that was one of his best 200 races in some time. Hansen went out in 1:01.76 for the first 100, two laps that he said felt great.
"That was the best first 100 I've ever felt," Hansen said. "I felt relaxed and never took a hard stroke. I treated it like a semifinal. I had the energy to go hard at the end, but I decided to sit back."
Two other members of Longhorn Aquatics qualified in the second and third positions. Eric Shanteau, considered a favorite to make the U.S. Team when the week started, won the first semifinal with a time of 2:10.24. Meanwhile, Scott Spann qualified in the third slot with a personal-best effort of 2:10.38. That one club has three men 2:10 or faster is downright stunning.
Also advancing to the championship final were Giordan Pogioli (2:11.30), Scott Usher (2:11.63), John Criste (2:11.66), Ryan Hurley (2:12.86) and Clark Burckle (2:13.05).
Video Footage Removed Due to NBC Restrictions
Go to Swimming World's 2008 Olympics Landing Page for the most comprehensive coverage of the meet on the Internet.
