Carvin’s Record-Breaking Win Is No Close Shave

Chad Carvin admitted he was a little tired before swimming the 400-meter freestyle in the Speedo Grand Challenge Friday at Heritage Aquatic Complex in Irvine.

Carvin had returned Wednesday from the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center where he had trained hard for three weeks. But judging from his swim in the championship final, it appears his high-altitude training is paying off for the Laguna Hills swimmer.

Already setting a meet record of 4 minutes 0.77 seconds in Friday morning’s preliminaries, Carvin shattered that mark by six seconds to win the event in 3:54.69.

“That’s a good time for me, especially since I’m not shaved or tapered for this meet,” Carvin said. “Any time you can break the four-minute mark in the 400, you have to be happy with the swim.”

Carvin compensated for his unshaven legs by wearing Jammers, a specially designed suit that resembles bike shorts and gives swimmers a smooth feel in the water.

Carvin’s time, only four seconds off his best time, was gratifying to Carvin, given the problems he has dealt with the last few years.

Since 1996, Carvin has had to leave the sport twice because of serious health problems, first for a life-threatening heart condition that caused him to miss the 1996 Olympic trials and then degenerative discs in 1997.

“I know it sounds kind of cliche, but we’re taking it day to day,” said Carvin’s coach, Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores. “Chad knows that he can’t look at the long term. He has a different attitude than he used to. There’s no sure path, so he doesn’t want to make predictions. But he’s swimming because he wants to. It’s fun for him.”

Aliso Viejo’s Steve West, who missed making the 1996 U.S. Olympic team by one place in the 100 breaststroke, looks like he could again be a strong candidate, winning in 1:03.64. He broke the meet record he set in 1997, swimming 1:03.61 in Friday’s preliminaries.

“I’m going for my best time this summer,” said West, who runs a Laguna Hills software company. “And depending on how well the business does will determine if I get serious about trying to make the U.S. Olympic team.”

In other men’s events, Torwai Sethsothorn won the 200 individual medley in 2:08.59. Aaron Peirsol, a freshman from Newport Harbor High, dominated the 200 backstroke to win in 2:05.80. Jason Lezak won the 50 free in 23.37.

Sarah Jones, a sophomore from San Clemente, tied with Amber Drake of Pasadena to win the 50 freestyle in 26.76.

Australian Olympian Elli Overton, representing Cal, won the 200 individual medley in 2:18.82, breaking Jennifer Parmenter’s 1997 meet record of 2:19.25.

Kristen Caverly, a freshman at San Clemente High, won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.05.

The meet continues today at 9 a.m. with finals scheduled for 4 p.m.