Articles

AQUATIC NOTEBOOK, Issue 154: Soni Swims World's Fastest Time This Year

• 
• 

Details

Written by Sharon Robb

May 12, 2012

Olympic champion Rebecca Soni swam the fastest time of the year Saturday night at the USA Swimming Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix.

Soni won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:22.22, the best time in the world this year beating her own 2:22.73 she clocked at the Austin Grand Prix in January.

Soni had already won the 100-meter breaststroke the night before.

In another exciting race, China's three-time Olympian Wu Peng, 24, of Club Wolverine turned it on in the final 25 meters to beat Michael Phelps, 26, of North Baltimore to win the 200-meter butterfly in 1:56.69.

Phelps finished in 1:56.87. It was his second runner-up finish at the meet. Sixteen-year old Joseph Schooling of Bolles was eighth in 2:01.70. Schooling will make his Olympic debut for Singapore.

"I feel like these are little quizzes," Phelps said. "They are like little building blocks."

Former Coral Springs Swim Club swimmer Kevin Bandy, 21, of Cardinal Aquatics finished the 200-meter butterfly in 2:10.24.

In other championship finals Saturday night:

Kathleen Hersey, 22, of Longhorn Aquatics won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:08.68.

Jessica Hardy, 25, of Trojan Swim Club won the 50-meter freestyle in 24.83.

Josh Schneider, 24, of SwimMAC won the 50-meter freestyle in 22.10.

Elizabeth Pelton, 18, of T2Aquatics and Rachel Bootsma tied to win the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.25. American record holder Natalie Coughlin, 29, was third in 1:00.83.

Nick Thoman, 26, of SwimMAC won the 100-meter backstroke in 53.77. Ryan Lochte was eighth in 56.43.

Allison Schmitt, 21, of North Baltimore won the 400-meter freestyle in a meet record in 4:05.40. The top three swimmers dipped under the meet record.

Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli, 28, of Trojan Swim Club won the 400-meter freestyle in 3:50.17.

Eric Shanteau, 28, of Trojan Swim Club won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:09.72.

Dana Vollmer, 25, of California won the 50-meter butterfly in a meet record 25.80. Claire Donahue, 23, of Western Kentucky, who has been training with SOFLO in Pembroke Pines, was second in 26.69, also a meet record.

Matthew Targett, 26, of Australia won the 50-meter butterfly in a meet record 23.11. Six of the top finishers broke the meet record.

Former Coral Springs Swim Club swimmer Kevin Bandy, 21, of Cardinal Aquatics finished the 200-meter butterfly in 2:10.24.

SOFLO's Nick Schwab, 21, of Indiana University, finished the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:28.23.

The meet concludes on Sunday and is being webcast live at usaswimming.org.

Another FGC Swimmer Makes Olympics

Cuban-born Manny Huerta of Miami, who started out swimming and running cross-country at Florida Atlantic University, qualified for his first Olympics Saturday at the ITU World Triathlon Series San Diego Triathlon.

Huerta joins another FGC swimmer Laura Reback Bennett of North Palm Beach on the U.S. Olympic team. Huerta recently spent time living in a volcano in Costa Rica for high altitude training.

Huerta was ninth in 1:49.31.

"I knew it would come down to the run," Huerta said. "The past couple of weeks I have been focusing on my run, especially my running off the bike. I did very hard bikes and then I'd come down and do runs. I was pretty much on the last pack on the swim but I stayed positive. I stayed calm. We caught up and then I set myself up in very good position on the bike on the last couple of laps. Then I went out with my heart and then gave everything I had."

American Hunter Kemper, 36, of Orlando made his fourth Olympic team with his fifth-place finish in 1:49.17. "This is my first race of the year and I am over the moon," said Kemper, coming back from a broken elbow.

Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee won in 1:48.47.

Americans needed to finish in the top nine in order to earn spots on  their Olympic team. The course was a 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10K run.

"I never, never gave up on my dream," Huerta said. "I battled through so many downs and ups, like many athletes, but I knew that today it was special. I was racing in my new country and I wanted to make my dream come true. For many young Hispanics like me, who come to America with that dream, they stick to their dream and they never give up."

Norway's Alexander Dale Oen Laid To Rest

In front of a national television audience in Norway, swimming hero and Olympian Alexander Dale Oen was laid to rest after a two-hour service. Hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral on Friday. The world champion was Norway's best swimmer in history and 2012 gold medal hopeful. On April 30, he died suddenly at age 26 of an apparent cardiac arrest during a training trip in Arizona.

Lochte Makes Cover

Floridian Ryan Lochte is featured on the cover of next month's Vogue Magazine along with soccer player Hope Solo and tennis player Serena Williams in the Olympic hopefuls issue. Lochte is the fourth man to be featured on the cover.

Sharon Robb can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.