SWIM MEET OF CHAMPIONS : Another Day, Another Win for Wojdat, But Something’s Missing

Artur Wojdat is doing well and has won every event he swims at the Swim Meet of Champions this week. But there’s something missing for him.

Uwe Dassler.

Wojdat has won three events in three days at the meet, which is being held at the Marguerite Recreation Center. On Saturday, he finished first in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3 minutes 55.60 seconds.

He held off Carsten Kuhlmorgen and Sebastian Wiese during the last 100 meters for the victory. Kuhlmorgen and Wiese are from East Germany, but they are not the East Germans whom Wojdat was hoping to be competing against.

Wojdat said he was looking forward to swimming against Dassler, a long-time friend and rival. However, Dassler is in North Carolina this week competing in the Charlotte Invitational.

“I saw Uwe in Monaco about a month ago and he said there was a chance that he might be swimming against me here,” Wojdat said. “It would have been great to go against him this week.”

Instead, Dassler, the world record holder in the 400 freestyle, is in North Carolina with the East German A team. The B team was sent to Mission Viejo.

Wojdat, a native of Poland, and Dassler have been friends for five years. They have competed against each other many times, including the 1988 Olympics.

Dassler won the gold medal in the 400 freestyle and Wojdat won the bronze.

“I first met Uwe at the European championships in 1985,” said Wojdat, who will be a junior at the University of Iowa this fall. “I don’t think he knew who I was then. He was already an established swimmer and I was this little squirt trying to get there. But I’ve caught up now.”

He may have even passed Dassler, who finished sixth in the 400 freestyle at the Charlotte meet Saturday with a time of 4:02.14. Joerg Hoffman, also of East German, won the race with a time of 3:59.24.

Meanwhile, Wojdat has won the 800 and 200 freestyles, as well as the 400, at the Mission Viejo meet.

“I heard Uwe had a shoulder problem last year and that slowed him down,” Wojdat said. “But he seemed fine in Monaco. I’m sure he’ll be ready for the Goodwill Games.”

Wojdat also will be in Seattle for the games. He will swim the 200 and 400 freestyles, the latter against his friend and rival.

In other action Saturday, Janet Evans won her third and fourth events of the meet. She finished first in the 400 freestyle (4:13.75) and 200 backstroke (2:19.66).

Evans was expected to win the 400 freestyle, in which she holds the world record, but the backstroke was a different matter. Evans was only the third fastest qualifier in the event, behind Katrin Wessel of East Germany and Dede Trimble, who is a teammate of Evans’ at Stanford.

But Evans touched out Wessel, who had a time of 2:17.59.

“In some ways it’s more fun to swim something besides freestyle,” said Evans, who has also won he 800 freestyle and 400 individual medley at the meet. “I’m not expect to do as well in the backstroke, so there’s less pressure.”

In the 50 freestyle, Steve Grams set a meet record with a time of 23.23 in the prelims. Tom Jager held the previous record of 23.74 in 1989.

Grams came back to win the final of the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.28.

The East German 400 medley relay team also set a meet record with a time of 3:52.04.