A rivalry is brewing between Newport Beach's Aaron Peirsol and his
2000 United States Olympic teammate Lenny Krayzelburg.
On Tuesday Peirsol won the most recent battle between the two
swimmers, racing to a 54.01 in the men's 100-meter backstroke to beat
the second-place Krayzelburg (54.48) in the second day of the
Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships at the Hall of Fame
Aquatic Complex.
Peirsol beat his preliminary time by more than a second in his
victory Tuesday. In July, Peirsol defeated Krayzelburg by 24
one-hundredths of a second in the 200 back at the Janet Evans
Invitational. Peirsol was disqualified in the 200 free in his other
race Tuesday.
Krayzelburg still holds the world record in the 100 back with a
53.60 he accomplished in August 1999.
But Krayzelburg, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 back,
and Peirsol, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 200 back, will
face each other again Thursday in the 200 back. Peirsol broke
Krayzelburg's world-record in the 200 back at the Phillips 66 Spring
Nationals in March with a 1:55.15, and is seeded first. Krayzelburg
is seeded second.
Peirsol won his first World Championship title in 2001 (200 back)
and holds five national titles (two in the 100 back and three in the
200 back). He is also the youngest American (15) to break two minutes
in the 200 back.
Nicole Mackey, the other area swimmer competing Tuesday at the
Hall of Fame Aquatic Center, was eighth (2:20.70) in the women's
200-meter individual medley, swimming the first 100 meters in
1:05.89.
Mackey, a Newport Harbor senior in the fall, competes Friday in
the women's 200 back. Aaron's younger sister and Newport Harbor
senior-to-be Hayley Peirsol races in the women's 200 free today, the
800 free, in which she's seeded second, on Friday and the 1,500 free
Saturday, when she will be seeded fourth. Peirsol took fifth in the
women's 400 IM Monday.
The recent Newport Harbor graduate and UC Berkeley-bound Ryan Lean
races Friday in the 1,500 free and will compete in the 800 free
Saturday. Lean was 24th in the men's 400 IM (4:04.98) Monday.
