U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials : Morales Is Third, Loses His Place

As of Tuesday night, Pablo Morales was not on the 1988 Olympic swim team. He finished third in the 100-meter butterfly, an event in which he holds the world record, but third place is no place in the Phillips 66/U.S. Swimming Long Course National Championships--which doubles as the Olympic trials in an Olympic year.

Matt Biondi won the 100-meter butterfly. Morales’ teammate, Jay Mortenson, was second. So Biondi and Mortenson will swim the event for the United States next month in Seoul.

Morales still can make the team in the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley.

“Things have to calm down a little bit first, in my mind and around me, before I can focus on that,” Morales said. “It will be a challenge. I’m certainly not going to shy away from it . . .

“The 100-meter butterfly is my forte. It has been throughout my entire career. I felt it was my best shot to make the team. Over the years, I’ve taken a great deal of pride in this event and . . . “

Asked what he thought his chances were in the other events, Morales said: “I have no idea. Before this race, I would have said my chances were pretty good. Now, I don’t know. That’s the type of meet it is. Favorites don’t always make it. Underdogs surprise you. That’s the beauty of this meet.”

U.S. Coach Richard Quick is pulling for Morales to make the team in one of those other events. Quick said: “I am disappointed about Pablo, but I don’t want this to be taken wrong. I am happy for both Biondi and Jay Mortenson. I’m happy for them and with them. Pablo has two more chances to make the team and I hope he does. Our team will benefit greatly from having Pablo. He’s a great leader. I want him on the team.”

Mortenson, too, called Morales a great leader. He also called him unselfish, a good teacher and a great friend. Morales was a junior at Stanford when Mortenson was recruited out of Madison, Wis. Mortenson said that although he was not a threat to Morales then, Morales knew his potential and still did everything he could to make Mortenson better.

Never before has Mortenson beaten Morales in a major event. But he wasn’t gloating or basking in the glory of the moment. In fact, he said, “I don’t mind playing second fiddle to Pablo Morales. It’s not an unprestigious place to be.”

Morales swam a disappointing time of 53.52 seconds, while Biondi (53.09) and Mortenson (53.29) turned in the two fastest times in the world this year.

Dave Wharton, who will be a sophomore at USC, said that he is looking forward to reclaiming the world record he held briefly last summer when he swam an impressive 400-meter individual medley. But his 4:16.32, although the fastest in the world this year, was short of the 4:15.42 record held by Tamas Darnyi of Hungary. It was also just short of Wharton’s American record of 4:16.12.

Mary Wayte, who won the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle in 1984, won the national title and the right to represent the United States in the event again when she beat Mitzi Kremer, 1:59.11 to 1:59.97. Kremer was also second in the 100-meter freestyle, so she’ll be swimming at least two individual events and a relay in Seoul. Wayte was fourth in the 100 the night before, so she’ll be swimming with Kremer on the 400-meter relay team.

Tracey McFarlane of the University of Texas won the women’s 200-meter breaststroke in 2:29.82. Born in Canada, McFarlane became eligible to represent the United States in the Olympic Games just last April when President Reagan signed a private citizenship bill.

Susan Rapp, 23, a graduate of Stanford and a 1984 Olympian, came on strong over the last few meters to touch out Susan Johnson for the other spot. Rapp finished in 2:31.01. Johnson, who swims for the Mission Bay club and who will be a sophomore at Texas, missed out when she finished in 2:31.08.

Swimming Notes

Rowdy Gaines, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter freestyle, will compete in that event again today at age 29. He was granted reinstatement of his amateur status by FINA (the international swimming federation) last Friday. After a layoff of almost four years (from Aug. 1, 1984, until March of 1988) Gaines was working out seriously for just a few months when he qualified for this meet with a 50.6-second swim at the Los Angeles Invitational. Gaines said: “If I had gone 51.6 in L.A., I might not have wanted to go through with this. But 50.6? Now I’m seeded eighth or ninth, and they take the top six.” Gaines won the gold in ’84 with a time of 49.8. As for what his quick comeback means in light of the belief that swimmers have to swim miles and miles a day, year after year, to swim a fast 100, Gaines quipped, “I’m sure I’m not making some coaches happy. Some coaches are probably shaking their heads and hoping I go 52.”

Mary Wayte, in explaining her friendly rivalry with the always smiling Mitzi Kremer, said: “This is a lot better than the kind of rivalry that I had with Sippy (Cynthia Woodhead, a former USC swimmer). Sippy didn’t talk to me for years, and when she did, it was usually low blows. . . . I think it was because I beat her at kind of a small meet at Mission Viejo at a time when she was supposed to be unbeatable. That blew her mind. She was finally nice to me when we were in the waiting room at the Olympics, but by that time, I had decided that we didn’t have to be friends. That might have been her undoing.” Wayte won the gold in the 200-meter freestyle at the ’84 Olympics. Woodhead took the silver.