Carvin, Sandeno Qualify

Two American records in two races does not quite add up to two rivalries.

It isn’t that simple. But nothing is when it comes to the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. On Wednesday morning, Dara Torres, a model reborn as a 33-year-old swimming star, set the first record of the trials in the 100-meter butterfly (57.58 seconds) at the Indiana University Natatorium, swiping it from her former training partner turned tense rival, Jenny Thompson, in the preliminaries.

Several hours later, teenager Klete Keller of Phoenix out-touched Chad Carvin of Laguna Hills in the 400 freestyle, winning in 3:47.18, to break a nearly 12-year-old record.

There was no talk of rivalry afterward, and it was one of those rare occasions when the winner was virtually ignored.

The extraordinary story of Carvin--who overcame a life-threatening heart virus and a serious back injury--almost turned Keller’s American record into a footnote. An emotional Carvin, who led for 350 meters, finished in 3:47.50, also under the previous American record of 3:48.06, set by Matt Cetlinski at the ’88 Olympic trials.

The top two swimmers will represent the U.S. at the Olympics in Sydney.

“My goal was to go out at the 200 mark and try to put everyone away at 300,” Carvin said. “I’ve gone two seconds faster than I ever have been, so I’m happy about that.”

Said Keller: “I know I can beat anyone in the last 100 meters. I was just trying to stay with Chad and then take him at the end of the race. I really didn’t even know I was passing him. I was in the swimming zone.”

Neither Keller nor Carvin were at the trials four years ago. Keller was barely a teenager, and Carvin was not even in Indianapolis, recovering from the heart virus at home and unable to watch the trials on television.

“I started watching and broke down in tears,” Carvin said. “I couldn’t get through one race.”

The difference between Carvin and Keller was quite complete. The 26-year-old Carvin has been through several life crises, all well-documented, and about the worst mishap for the 18-year-old Keller was a tumble into a walrus pit at Sea World and getting lost at Alcatraz when he was a kid.

The first day at the trials was a strong one for the teenagers. Seventeen-year-old Kaitlin Sandeno of Lake Forest, who will be a senior at El Toro High this fall, became the first 2000 Olympian when she won the 400 individual medley in 4:40.91, a career-best and third-fastest in the world this year. Kristine Quance-Julian, who swam at USC and couldn’t quite escape the memories of her ’96 trials disqualification for an illegal turn, was eighth in 4:51.98.

“It’s all I was thinking about,” she said of the 1996 controversy.

“I think about it once in a while. It’s impossible not to think about it. I’d be lying if I said I never thought about it.”

Neither Quance-Julian, nor anyone else, was able to mount a serious challenge to Sandeno. Sandeno, showing few nerves in her Olympic trials debut, let down once she got out of the water, crying in the interview room. She said she did feel nervous earlier in the day, especially after finishing with the fastest time in the preliminaries.

It helped when she listened to some Brazilian music with her coach Vic Riggs.

Sandeno also laughed about the large male response to her Web site, fueled by her picture in a prom dress. “A lot of guys were saying, ‘Oooh, you’re hot,’ ” she said, blushing.

Riggs felt better about Sydney when he watched Sandeno walk in with the other finalists. “She was the only one smiling,” he said.

Torres was trying to find that state in the semifinals at night. She broke Thompson’s American record in the morning, turning in the third-fastest time ever. Thompson set the mark, of 57.88, last year.

“I looked over at my coach [Richard Quick] and he was all happy,” Torres said. “This is my fun event.”

Thompson responded in the semifinals. She went 57.59 and Torres had the second-fastest time at 58.07.

“I was told to chill tonight,” Torres said. “It felt so smooth this morning, but Richard told me it was an eight-day meet and I need to act like a veteran and relax.”

Things have gotten strained between Thompson and Torres. Torres, who came out of a seven-year swimming retirement, used to train with Thompson at Stanford. That arrangement ceased in December.

Quick portrayed it as his decision. But it was reported that it was a decision of the team and Thompson. Earlier, Quick said it was like the Olympics every day at practice.

“Jenny was my inspiration when I made the final decision to get back in,” Torres said. “I saw the way she was built, the way she swam and I wanted to swim like her. We don’t train together anymore. It can get really intense when two people are going for the exact same goal . . . It has benefited both of us. We don’t dislike each other.”

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U.S. Olympic Trials

Today’s schedule:

8 a.m. EVENTS

* Women’s 100 backstroke qualifying

* Men’s 200 freestyle qualifying

* Women’s 100 breaststroke qualifying

* Men’s 100 backstroke qualifying

* Women’s 400 freestyle qualifying

* Men’s 400 individual medley qualifying

5 p.m. EVENTS

* Women’s 100 backstroke semifinal

* Men’s 200 freestyle semifinal

* Women’s 100 butterfly final

* Men’s 100 breaststroke final

* Women’s 100 breaststroke semifinal

* Men’s 100 backstroke semifinal

* Women’s 400 freestyle final

* Men’s 400 individual medley final