|
Monday, August 1, 2005
Crocker collects another gold
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
 |
||
MONTREAL — Portland's Ian Crocker had one more speedy 100-meter butterfly in him Sunday night. Crocker's split of 50.39 seconds helped propel the U.S. to victory in the 400 medley relay - the final event of the swimming world championships at Parc Jean Drapeau. The American quartet of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Crocker and Jason Lezak was more than a second off its world record set last summer at the Athens Olympics, but the team still won handily in 3 minutes, 31.85 seconds - besting second-place Russia by 3.23 seconds and third-place Japan by 3.55. The four Americans clasped hands atop the medals stand, raised their arms to the sky and mouthed the words of the Star Spangled Banner as the American flag was raised for the 15th and final time at the champion- ships. Crocker leaves the meet with quite a haul. He shattered his own world record in the 100 fly with a time of 50.40 on Saturday, won a silver in the 50 fly earlier in the week, and added a second gold from Sunday's relay. Not bad for the kid from Maine who grew up without a 50-meter pool nearby. "I guess you can't get a world record every time," Crocker said after the relay. "I think it's a hard race. I didn't feel all that great. But I'm very happy with the meet overall. It's been an interesting year. It shows I'm still in tune with my body." Peirsol, Crocker's old University of Texas teammate, got the Americans out to a slight lead with a 54.26 split in the backstroke. Hansen, also a former Longhorn teammate, swam a 59.33 split in the breast stroke, keeping the slight lead and setting the stage for Crocker's leg. Crocker sprang from the blocks, rose from the water with a strong lead, and added nearly two seconds to the advantage by the time he returned to the wall. From there, freestyle specialist Jason Lezak cruised to victory with his 47.87 split. "We came out here and did our best," said Hansen. "When we do races like that it takes a beating on you. We know we hold the world record and that is us. We are going to try and beat it next time." The Americans, accustomed to besting their own record at major meets, appeared slightly disappointed with their performance. "We might not be the best ever, but we still got a gold medal," said Peirsol. It was the 10th gold medal for the U.S. men's team, and its 18th overall medal. Combined with the women, the U.S. captured 15 gold medals and 32 total medals, with only long-standing rival Australia (22 total medals) anywhere near their haul. Crocker entered the meet coming off one of the most disjointed years in his swimming career. He toured the country with Swim with the Stars, had a plethora of media and sponsorship obligations, and co-starred in a swimming documentary with friend and rival Michael Phelps. He still found time to get into the pool, however. Though Phelps did not give him the challenge he anticipated Saturday in the 100 fly, Crocker still blew the world record out of the water. "In my mind I picture he's going to be there anyway," said Crocker. "I hope that's a race I can continue to dominate in. But with swimmers like Michael on the scene, it keeps you working." Staff Writer Jenn Menendez can be contacted at 791-6426 or at:
|
||