Olsen Starts Fast, but Carvin Finishes Strong : Swimming: World bests set in 200 free and 400 individual medley.

Jon Olsen generated some excitement Wednesday night at the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championship, when he set a blistering pace in the first half of the men’s 200-meter freestyle at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center.

Olsen, 26, of Jonesboro, Ark., a member of the U.S. gold-medal winning 400-meter relay team in Barcelona in 1992, was on world-record pace at the 100-meter mark.

But it wasn’t a sprinter who reached the wall first for the fastest time in the world this year. Instead, it was one of America’s best distance swimmers, Chad Carvin of Laguna Hills, who outsprinted the field in the final 25 meters to win in 1 minute 48.43 seconds, edging Joe Hudepohl of Stanford, second in 1:48.62.

Olsen? He hung on for third in 1:49.47, but acknowledged he was feeling some pain in the second half of the race.

“On the third turn I was pitiful,” Olsen said. “I felt like I took my last stroke at the flag and coasted in.”

It looked that way as Carvin, 21, from the University of Arizona, surged past Olsen and Hudepohl on his way to the victory stand.

Carvin returned for the 400-meter individual medley where another world best was recorded, this time by winner Eric Namesnik in 4:15.57.

Carvin finished third until he learned he was disqualified for using an illegal flutter kick during the third leg of the race, the breaststroke.

“I feel a little ripped off,” Carvin said while waiting to take a mandatory drug test. “I’ll take it to my grave I didn’t do it. [The judges] need to back off a little bit.”

It probably would not have made much difference anyway. The United States’ best two in the event finished first and second with Namesnik followed by Michigan teammate Tom Dolan, the world-record holder in the race.

Like all of the top two finishers at this year’s nationals, both qualified for next week’s Pan Pacific Championships at the Olympic pool in Atlanta.

“Tom is tired right now, he’s swimming through this meet,” Michigan Coach Jon Urbanchek said. “He’ll be a lot faster next week.”

Kristine Quance of USC was one of the winners not worried about times. Her winning result in the women’s 400 IM was slower than her best in the event, but after all the problems she has had, a victory was, well, victory enough. Since coming off a shoulder injury, Quance has not been able to train as hard as her coach, Mark Schubert, would like.

Carvin, who is feared in the longer distances, is trying to become one of the United States’ more versatile competitors. He was defending national champion in the 200, but not expected to stay with the top sprinters.

“I was super loose,” Carvin said. “When I feel like that I know something good will happen.”