Irvine’s Beard Picks Up Where She Left Off

Olympic medalist Amanda Beard of Irvine won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2 minutes 30.73 seconds Thursday night at the U.S. National Swimming Championships.

It was the first major meet since the Olympic Games in Atlanta last summer, and came only one month after Beard, 15, had a cyst removed from her right wrist.

“I wasn’t able to train for about a month after the surgery, so this was a good test,” said Beard, a sophomore at Irvine High.

At the Olympics, Beard took silver in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. She won a gold medal on the 400-meter medley relay.

The first six of eight events here Thursday were won by 1996 U.S. Olympians.

“It makes a statement that we still have swimmers in shape, swimming well and excited about the future,” U.S. national team director Dennis Pursley said.

Other 1996 Olympians winning here were Jenny Thompson in the 100-meter freestyle in 55.47, Brad Bridgewater in the 200 backstroke in 2:00.74, Kurt Grote in the 200 breaststroke in 2:14.39, Beth Botsford in the 200 backstroke in 2:12.49 and Bradley Schumacher in the 100 freestyle in 51.33.

Among the Orange County participants, Steve West of Huntington Beach was second in the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:18.01, Mission Viejo’s Peter Florcyzk was fifth in the 200 backstroke in 2:05.61, and Philippe Demers, a senior at Santa Margarita High School, was sixth in the 200 butterfly in 2:03.48.

Thursday was the second of five days of competition.