Krayzelburg Sets Another Mark

The “Star-Spangled Banner” had stopped playing at the Pan Pacific swimming championships presentation ceremony when Lenny Krayzelburg began gently clapping.

The Russian-turned-American was saluting his new country and the support of the fans who had just cheered him to his second world record in three days.

“It was an amazing feeling, one that I’ll always remember,” Krayzelburg said Friday after smashing the 200-meter backstroke record. His time of 1 minute 55.87 seconds broke the mark of 1:56.57 set by Spain’s Martin Lopez Zubero at Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 23, 1991.

On Tuesday, Krayzelburg broke the 100-meter world record. “I was looking forward to this meet for about a year, and I had a good feeling about it,” Krayzelburg said. “I guess I went out kind of quick tonight, but the crowd really spurred me home.”

South Africa’s Penny Heyns, racing alone in a special 50-meter breaststroke time trial, set her eighth world record in 11 swims during the Pan Pacific event.

Heyns was clocked in 30.83 seconds, breaking the mark of 30.95 she set in the Goodwill Games in New York last August.

Krayzelburg, who became a U.S. citizen in 1995, six years after he and his family emigrated from the former Soviet Union, said his most important goal remains next year’s Sydney Olympics.

“My time won’t matter--as long as I can get the gold in both the 100 and 200,” Krayzelburg said. But rather than become complacent, the 23-year-old Californian plans to use it as extra training fuel.

“If anything, there will be more motivation because a lot of people will be out to try to beat me next year,” Krayzelburg said. “It’s an Olympics, so you never know what’s going to happen.”

Krayzelburg, who will have a chance to add a third gold medal when he swims for the U.S medley relay team Sunday, didn’t miss a chance to show his pleasure with Friday’s record swim.

Last year, Krayzelburg said, some of his friends criticized him for not appearing pleased with his world championship victories because he wasn’t pleased with his time. Moments after Friday’s success, Krayzelburg pointed brazenly to the scoreboard with his world record time flashing.

“I had been thinking of a way to show my happiness,” Krayzelburg said, “and I figured that would do it.”