By John Lohn
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 3. THEY'VE already delivered a splendid showdown in the 400 individual medley. Now, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will try to do the same in the 200 IM. The fastest men in event history, Lochte and Phelps qualified in the top spots for the championship final and were the only men under two minutes in the final.
Racing in the second semifinal, Lochte won his heat in 1:57.57 and will be, like he was in the 400 IM, the top seed in the final. Phelps was the winner of the first semifinal, easing through his race in 1:58.05. The gold and silver medalists in the event at the Athens Olympics and last year's World Champs, Phelps and Lochte might push the world record of 1:54.98, held by Phelps.
Eric Shanteau, not long removed from his second-place performance in the 200 breaststroke, qualified in the third position as he covered the 200-meter distance in 2:00.74. Shanteau has been under two minutes during his career, but he'll need a sizable drop from his personal best to be in the mix for another Olympic nod.
Rounding out the field for the championship final were Alex Vanderkaay, who has been steady throughout the week in a number of events. Vanderkaay was timed in 2:00.81, just ahead of T.P. Patrick (2:00.87). Tim Liebhold was sixth in 2:00.93 and Robert Margalis and Dan Madwed followed with respective times of 2:01.16 and 2:01.39.
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.
