Johnson Barrels His Way to Victory

Mark Johnson says he’s the joker on the team.

So when he made the finals in the 200-meter freestyle Saturday at the Swim Meet of Champions, he thought it would be funny to tell the event announcer that he went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

“I did it as a joke, but also to wake me up since I hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before,” said Johnson, who swims for the Pacific Dolphin Swimming Assn. of British Columbia. “When he announced my name before I raced, and then said I went over the falls, it made me laugh . . . which woke me up.”

It did that and more.

He won the event in 1 minute 53.28 seconds, finishing ahead of Dan Phillips, who was swimming unattached at the Marguerite Aquatics Center in Mission Viejo. Phillips was second in 1:54.49.

“I needed to boost my confidence somehow,” said Johnson, who won the 800 freestyle Thursday. “Besides, you don’t suppose anybody really believed that I went over the falls, do you?”

Johnson, 18, is a recent high school graduate from Niagara Falls, Ontario. As one of Canada’s top middle distance freestylers, he’s been training “like a dog” the past few weeks.

“I’ve been training very hard getting ready for the Commonwealth Games in September,” he said. “So I’m very happy with that time. Especially since we’re doing triple workouts and we’ve been traveling all over the place for meets.

“But tonight, I get to sleep. Not like last night, when I slept on the ground all night.”

When asked if that was a joke, too, Johnson just smiled.

Also smiling was teammate Jeremy Jaud, who won the 200 breaststroke in 2:22.18. Ratapong Sirisanont of the Mission Viejo Nadadores was second in 2:23.22.

Francisco Sanchez of Sun Devil Aquatics won the 50 freestyle in 23.80. Sanchez, who won the 100 freestyle event on Friday, beat Phillips, who was second in 23.87.

Olympic gold-medalist Brad Bridgewater won the 400 individual medley in 4:28.66, finishing ahead of Peter Kratochvil of Santa Clara (4:29.67).

Kristen Caverly of the Irvine Novaquatics won the 200 breaststroke in 2:34.71. Teammate Staciana Stitts was second in 2:37.08.

“I swim the 200 better than I do the 100,” said Caverly, who cut more than two seconds off her best time. “I really don’t think about winning. I just want to have fun with my race. And what ever happens, happens.”

Misty Hyman won the 200 freestyle and the 400 individual medley Saturday.

Hyman won the 200 freestyle in 2:04.12. Lindsay Benko of the Trojan Swim Club finished second in 2:04.15. Hyman won the 400 IM in 4:56.82.