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IRVINE, California, August 19. THE second day of preliminary action is complete at the Pan Pacific Championships.
Women's 100 free
The U.S. demonstrated some remarkable depth in the event, but only three Americans will move on to swim this evening. Dana Vollmer (54.01) and Natalie Coughlin (54.09) took the top two spots and earned the U.S. lanes in the A final. Vollmer just missed her fourth-ranked season best of 53.94, while Coughlin moved to a sixth-ranked tie with Femke Heemskerk.
Jessica Hardy (54.35) qualified third, but will swim in the B final, while Amanda Weir (54.50) and Kara Lynn Joyce (54.59) both qualified in the top eight with sixth and seventh-place times but will not swim in the event this evening.
Australia wunderkind Yolane Kukla qualified third in 54.17 to move into the top 10 in the world, while Canada's Victoria Poon qualified fifth in 54.44 for a top 15 time.
Australia's Emily Seebohm (54.65), Japan's Haruka Ueda (54.93), Hong Kong's Hannah Wilson (55.24) and New Zealand's Hayley Palmer (55.42) will comprise the rest of the A final.
Men's 100 free
The U.S. went 1-2 for the second straight event with Nathan Adrian and Jason Lezak giving the hometown fans a show. Adrian popped a 48.41 in the seventh of eight heats to tie his third-ranked season best from the U.S. Nationals. Lezak, meanwhile, won the final heat with a 48.47 to place second and tie Fabien Gilot for fourth in the world rankings.
Canada's Brent Hayden posted the early time to beat from heat six with a 48.50, that broke his Pan Pac record of 48.59 from 2006. Adrian, however, came over the top to hold the meet record heading into finals. Hayden moved to sixth in the world at the end of qualifying.
Australia's Kyle Richardson (48.69) and Eamon Sullivan (48.92) qualified fourth and fifth, while teammate James Magnussen (48.92) was bumped to the B final.
USA's Garrett Weber-Gale, who qualified seventh in 48.98, also was bumped to the B final, while South Africa's Graeme Moore took eighth in 48.99.
South Africa's Lyndon Ferns (10th/49.09) and world-record holder Cesar Cielo of Brazil (11th/49.13) needed the various final bumps to be able to swim in the A final. Cielo's time was particularly surprising, considering he's been 48.63 already this year.
Women's 100 breast
USA's Rebecca Soni threw down the gauntlet in the event with a blazing fast time of 1:05.89. That swim broke Jessica Hardy's meet record of 1:06.43 set in 2006. She also finished just off her top-ranked time of 1:05.73 from the U.S. Nationals.
Sarah Katsoulis (1:06.78) and Leisel Jones (1:06.80) qualified second and third for Australia, while Japan's Satomi Suzuki also cleared 1:07 with a fourth-place 1:06.94. Katsoulis moved to fourth in the world, while Jones already has the second-ranked time of 1:05.79. Suzuki became just the sixth swimmer under 1:07 this year.
Australia's Samantha Marshall was bumped to the B final due to the two-per-country rule after qualifying fifth in 1:07.41, while USA's Amanda Beard continued her remarkable year-after pregnancy summer with a sixth-place 1:07.53 to make the A final. USA's Micah Lawrence (1:07.62) was bumped to the B final after qualifying seventh. Japan's Mina Matsushima finished eighth in 1:07.74.
Canada took advantage of the A final bump vacancies with Jillian Tyler (1:08.29) and Annamay Pierse (1:08.31) making their way to the championship heat from 11th and 12th.
Men's 100 breast
Japan's Kosuke Kitajima reminded the world that he's been the best breaststroker in the world for the past two Olympic cycles. During prelims, he turned in an incredible time of 59.04, which is the fastest time swum in a textile suit. He cleared the previous best time (59.13) set in a textile suit by Brendan Hansen at this pool during the U.S. Nationals in 2006. Kitajima also crushed Hansen's meet record of 59.90 set back in 2006. Kitajima's time this morning nearly cracked into the top 10 of all time as 59.01 is the cutoff time for that exclusive club. Incidentally, Kitajima also beat Alexander Dale Oen's top-ranked time of 59.20 from the European Championships.
Japan's Ryo Tateishi qualified second in 1:00.09, just off his now third-ranked season best of 59.84 set at the Japan Nationals in April. USA's Mark Gangloff qualified third in 1:00.21, while teammate Eric Shanteau finished fourth in 1:00.31. Gangloff moved to sixth in the world, while Shanteau took ninth.
Brazil's Tales Cerdeira (1:00.47) qualified fifth, while Japan's Yuta Suenaga took sixth in 1:00.80 but was bumped to the B final.
Australia's Christian Sprenger (1:00.83), Brazil's Felipe Lima (1:00.88) and Australia's Brenton Rickard (1:00.89) earned the rest of the spot in the finale after taking into consideration the bumps.
Women's 400 IM
USA's Elizabeth Beisel smashed the meet record in the distance medley with a stunning time of 4:34.04 in the morning. That swim smashed the 4:36.82 set by Katie Hoff in 2006, and moved Beisel into second in the world this year behind only Hannah Miley's 4:33.09 from the European Championships.
Teammate Caitlin Leverenz qualified second in 4:39.59, while Ariana Kukors completed a 1-2-3 finish for the U.S. with a 4:40.02, but was bumped to the B final due to the two-per-country rule.
Japan's Izumi Kato (4:40.99) and Maiko Fujino (4:41.79) placed fourth and fifth, while USA's Teresa Crippen touched in sixth with a 4:42.70 but will not swim in either final as only three swimmers total from a single country can swim at night at Pan Pacs.
Australia's Samantha Hamill (4:43.86) took seventh, while Japan's Miho Takahashi was bumped to the B final with an eighth-place 4:44.26.
New Zealand's Natalie Wiegersma (4:44.65), Canada's Alexandra Komarnycky (4:45.53) and Canada's Lindsay Seemann (4:46.65) moved up into the A final due to the bump vacancies.
Men's 400 IM
The two-year hiatus from the event was evident for Michael Phelps as he finished fourth in the distance medley with a 4:15.38 and was bumped to the B final due to the two-per-country rule. Phelps had stated emphatically at the 2008 Beijing Olympics that his gold medal effort in the 400 IM was the last time he would ever swim the race. He has since swum the 400 IM in the short course yard format, but had still remained out of the 400-meter IM until this morning.
USA's Ryan Lochte (4:08.77) and Tyler Clary (4:09.20) qualified first and second with locked dropping his top-ranked time in the world of 4:09.98 from the U.S. Nationals. Clary moved to second in the world ahead of Laszlo Cseh (4:10.95).
Brazil's Thiago Pereira qualified third in 4:15.35, while Japan's Yuya Horihata (4:16.44) and Canada's Brian Johns (4:16.50) touched fifth and sixth.
USA's Robert Margalis qualified seventh with a 4:17.16, but was bumped completely from tonight due to the three-per-country finals rule.
Japan's Ken Takakuwa placed eighth in 4:17.40, while Canada's Andrew Ford (4:21.22) and Australia's Jayden Hadler (4:23.35) made finals from 11th and 13th place, respectively.
Phelps later scratched the B final swim, allowing Margalis to move into his spot in the B final.
Women's 50 back
Australia's Sophie Edington (28.12) and Japan's Aya Terakawa (28.17) finished first and second in the sprint back, while Brazil's Fabiola Molina (28.30) and USA's Rachel Bootsma (28.35) placed third and fourth.
Australia's Grace Loh took fifth in 28.39, while teammate Emily Seebohm was bumped to the B final with a sixth-place 28.44.
Canada's Julia Wilkinson earned seventh in 28.47, while New Zealand's Emily Thomas took eighth in 28.49. Japan's Shiho Sakai moved up from 10th to take the bump vacancy with a 28.76.
Men's 50 back
USA went 1-2 again, this time in the sprint back with Nick Thoman and David Plummer taking first and second with times of 24.82 and 24.87. The two times moved the pair up to fourth and sixth in the world.
Japan's Ryosuke Irie tied Australia's Ashley Delaney for third with matching 25.20s, while Japan's Junya Koga took fifth in 25.25.
Australia's Ben Treffers qualified sixth in 25.26, while teammates Daniel Arnamnart (25.33) and Hayden Stoeckel (25.34) were both bumped after qualifying seventh and eighth.
Brazilians Guilherme Guido (25.40) and Glauber Silva (25.63) picked up the bump vacancy slots with ninth and 11th place finishes.
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