SWIMMING TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS : Biondi Holds Off Challenge to Win 100-Meter Butterfly

In what he called his greatest performance since the 1988 Olympic Games, Matt Biondi withstood a charge from Santa Clara’s Dan Kutler to win the 100-meter butterfly in the Chrysler Swim Meet of Champions Friday night at the Mission Viejo International Swimming Complex.

Although Biondi’s 56.16-second clocking fell short of the 53.01 he swam in Seoul when Surinam’s Anthony Nesty edged him at the wall with a 53.00, it is the fastest time Biondi has swum without the benefit of resting and shaving his body hair.

Biondi, who won five gold medals in Seoul, edged Kutler, a UCLA junior, by two-tenths of a second.

“The last 25 (meters) is always the hardest for me,” Biondi said. “I always tighten up but I held my stroke together better than I ever have before.”

Biondi took the lead from the start and gained a half-second advantage at the turn.

Kutler began to gain on the 6-foot-7 Biondi with 15 meters remaining in the race, but Biondi had enough reserve to beat him to the wall.

Although Biondi is looking forward to the main meet of the summer for the U.S. team, the Pan Pacific Games in August, he already is training for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in March.

“The time is now to be putting in the distance for the trials,” Biondi said. “The Pan Pacific Games are just a stop along the way.”

On the women’s side, Costa Rica’s Silvia Poll won the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle despite only a 20-minute break between the events. Poll, a 1988 Olympic silver medalist in the 200 freestyle, clocked a 1:03.66 to win the backstroke by 1.9 seconds over Mary Petry, a 17-year-old from Industry Hills.

In the 100 freestyle, the 6-2 Poll had a tougher time of it, but held on to defeat Sarah Anderson of Golden Bear, 58.02 to 58.23.

Poll, who breathes to her left, had to sneak two breaths to her right to keep an eye on Anderson down the stretch.

She credited her quick recovery between races to a special replacement fluid she brought with her from Costa Rica, and a lounge on the grass where she put her feet up and “tried to get the oxygen back into my body, especially my legs.”

The only meet record set on the second day of competition was by Eric Namesnik, the American record-holder in the 400 individual medley. His 4:23.23 broke the record of 4:24.37 set by Canadian Olympian Alex Baumann in 1984.

Namesnik, who turned in his best time without rest, won by a 6.2-second margin.

Northridge teen-ager Kristine Quance was even more dominant in the women’s 400 individual medley with a 4:48.36, some 14.5 seconds ahead of the field.

Both medley champs were denied the opportunity to race tougher competition. Olympian Dave Wharton missed the men’s final to attend a wedding and Summer Sanders scratched from the women’s race because of tendinitis in her shoulder.

Mission Viejo’s Artur Wojdat earned his second title of the meet with a convincing 200 freestyle victory in 1:50.97 over teammate Eric Diehl, who graduated from Mission Viejo High Thursday night.

“Heck, I’m pretty tired,” said Diehl, who was operating on less than three hours’ sleep, “but I didn’t die or anything. Considering the circumstances, I swam OK.”

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz, 41, clocked a 58.93 in the 100 butterfly, which did not qualify for the finals. Spitz, who tied for 26th, will continue his comeback in an attempt to make the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying time of 55.59.

“This is the best I’ve felt,” said Spitz, who has gone faster, 58.77, since he began racing again in April.