PHOENIX, Arizona, July 20. SWIMMING, diving and synchronized swimming news from the United States and Europe highlight today's news segment on The Morning Swim Show.
Following is the complete transcript of the show, hosted by Peter Busch. Click the button on the right to view the video.
The USA Swimming sectionals featured a surprise American record over the weekend. Bryan Lundquist, a former NCAA champion at Auburn, swam a 22.91 in the 50 fly to break Ian Crocker's mark of 23.12, which he set at the 2005 world championships. Lundquist set the record on the opening 50 of the final of the 100 fly at the Knoxville sectionals on Saturday evening.
Teresa Crippen, who will be a senior at Florida this fall and whose brother Fran is representing the US this week at world championships, won three events at the Gainseville sectionals, breaking two 26-year-old meet records set by Tracy Caulkins. Crippen's new marks came in the 200 fly with a 2:11.94 and in the 200 IM with a 2:15.96.
Jason Lezak is skipping the world championships, but he put up a fast 100 free at the Maccabiah Games in Israel on Sunday that ranks him as the fastest American this year and the only one to break 48 seconds. In the final of the 100, Lezak swam a 47.78, about a tenth slower than his best time. So far, that swim is the seventh-fastest in the world this year. Lezak will also swim the 50 free this week and help the American team on the relays.
A couple of swimmers that will compete in Rome also put up some impressive times in Israel. Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or, who will be a sophomore at Arizona, was second behind Lezak in the 100 with a 49.02 and Guy Barnea, who swims for Cal-Berkeley, won the 50 back with a 24.64, which ties him with Germany's Helge Meeuw for the second-fastest time this year in the world.
Diving continues at the world championships in Rome, and it appears that the Chinese stranglehold on gold medals is over. After four events, the Chinese have only won two golds, with Mexico and Russia claiming the other two. Paola Espinosa upset platform diving Olympic champion Chen Ruolin by 10 points in Sunday's final. And Julia Pakhalina won the women's 1-meter final by 13 points over China's Wu Mingxia.
But when the Chinese won, they won big. Chen Ruolin teamed up with Wang Xin on the women's synchro platform and won handily over the United States duo of Mary Beth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu, who just barely won silver ahead of the Malaysian duo.
On the men's three-meter synchro, the USA's Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen stayed in medal contention for the entire final, finishing second behind the Chinese pair of Qin Kai and Wang Feng, who led the entire competition. Canada's Alexandre Despatie and Ruben Ross surged in the late rounds to grab the bronze.
Pakhalina wasn't the only one bringing home gold for Russia on Sunday. The Russian synchronized swimming team won the technical routine gold with 98.3 points. Spain was second and China was third.
The open water 5k races in Rome were postponed after strong winds wrecked equipment on the race course. The 5k's now go off tomorrow…and The 10K swims will take place on Wednesday, with the 25K to start Saturday. You can watch the action live on universalsports.com.