SWIMMING PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS : U.S. Having Trouble in Race With the Clock

The medal count still reflects the dominance of the United States team, but the clock cast a more critical eye Saturday night in the Pan Pacific Championships at the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre.

Two Americans were upset, and the three individuals and two relay teams that boosted the gold medal total to 18 were disappointed with their times.

Janie Wagstaff and Angel Myers Martino posted the fastest times in preliminary heats of the 200-meter backstroke and 100 butterfly, respectively, but were not able to maintain their positions in the evening finals.

Wagstaff, 17, of Mission Hills, Kan., lost when Anna Simcic charged past her for New Zealand’s first gold medal, winning in 2 minutes 10.79 seconds. Australia’s Nicole Livingstone also caught Wagstaff and beat her to the wall by six-hundredths of a second.

“I was never really up for the race,” Wagstaff said. “The attitude wasn’t there.”

Martino faded to a sixth-place finish in 1:01.87, 1.8 seconds slower than her preliminary swim. Australian Susan O’Neill took advantage with a gold medal-winning 59.93 seconds, and Crissy Ahmann-Leighton of Tucson won the silver in 1:00.08.

“The competitive atmosphere in the morning is taking its toll,” said U.S. women’s Coach Mark Schubert of the infighting among Americans just to make the top two spots for finals.

“But I don’t think that it is bad to deal with something different or harder. Let’s face it, the Olympic Games are not easy. This is a test of fire.”

Stanford’s Jeff Rouse and Matt Biondi of Castro Valley, Calif., earned their second individual gold medals with fast finishes.

Rouse broke away from Canada’s Kevin Draxinger in the 200 backstroke with a strong final turn. Using a powerful dolphin kick underwater, Rouse rose to the surface a body length ahead of Draxinger.

Rouse’s time of 2:00.85 was slower than his preliminary swim and well off his goal of under two minutes.

“I didn’t have that ‘easy speed’ (speed that doesn’t hurt), but I have a year to clear that up,” Rouse said.

Biondi beat Canadian Marcel Gery in 54.24 seconds--three-hundredths of a second ahead of Gery. Mark Henderson of Fort Washington, Md., took the bronze in 54.32.

Janet Evans won the 400 freestyle in 4:10.45 for her first individual gold medal.

“I’d like to have gone faster,” Evans said. “I went 4:11 in June.”

Evans maintained that her rest period was too short, but Schubert is withholding judgment.

“She’s had to have a lot of tapers (rest periods) this year, and she changed programs and there was a lot of emotional upheaval,” he said. “She’ll be a lot better next year.”

Evans left Stanford and Coach Richard Quick in April for Austin, Tex.-based Schubert.