By John Lohn
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 1. ONLY a handful of athletes are capable of handling a multi-event schedule, what with the demands placed on the body and the mind. Katie Hoff negotiates the demands placed upon her with ease.
After opening the night by qualifying first for the final of the 200 freestyle, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club superstar headlined the semifinals of the 200 individual medley, qualifying first for that event, as well. Swimming in the second semifinal, Hoff took a run at the American record and touched in 2:09.94, not far off Natalie Coughlin's domestic standard of 2:09.77.
Chasing a sub-2:10 performance for several years, Hoff finally broke through, showing no ill effects from her arduous slate. As we've mentioned before this week, Hoff could qualify for Beijing in as many as six individual events. Prior to Tuesday night's swim, Hoff's best time was 2:10.05.
Qualifying second for the championship final was Ariana Kukors, who registered a time of 2:10.85 while swimming next to Hoff in the semifinals. Kukors may have been boosted by the performances of a pair of her King Aquatic Club teammatest. Earlier in the night, Megan Jendrick (100 breaststroke) and Margaret Hoelzer (100 backstroke) earned trips to China.
The first semifinal featured the third through fifth qualifiers for the final, headlined by Coughlin. Fresh off a world record in the 100 backstroke, Coughlin was timed in 2:11.72 and will be Hoff's primary challenger during the final. A run at Stephanie Rice's world record of 2:08.92 is realistic. Fourth went to Caitlin Leverenz (2:11.76) and fifth was taken by Ava Ohlgren (2:11.96). Sixth went to Whitney Myers (2:12.07), who was followed by Kaitlin Sandeno (2:13.64).
The eighth and final spot for the championship heat needs to be determined by a swimoff as Elizabeth Beisel and Dagny Knutson shared times of 2:13.75. The swimoff was slated for the following day's prelims session, but Beisel elected to scratch, most likely since she is already assured a spot in the longer distance IM.
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.
