Japanese Swimmers to Compete in County

A number of Olympic hopefuls, including an entire national team, will be among more than 600 swimmers converging on Orange County this week for the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo.

The event, which starts tonight and is hosted by the Mission Viejo Nadadores, has gained international attention with the presence of the Japanese Olympic team, and the chance for other swimmers to use the event to prepare for the U.S. swim trials in August.

A throng of Japanese journalists--including a 29-person television crew and 34 reporters--has arrived for the meet at Marguerite Recreation Center in Mission Viejo. They plan to document every move made by the 21 Japanese swimmers, including members of that country’s Olympic swim team.

The arrival of the Japanese team ratchets up the competition. There are 642 swimmers in all, more than 50 who competed in the 1996 Olympics and more than 70 who hold times among the 10 best in the world in their event.

“This is one of the major meets of the year,” Mission Viejo Nadadores Coach Bill Rose said. “But this year is really going to be special. It’s the first time we’ve had an entire Olympic team come, and they are one of the best in the world.”

The Japanese team is expected to dominate several events, although some local swimmers should battle for titles. While most swimmers might hold back a bit, there are some intriguing races planned and several meet records should fall.

El Toro High School’s Kaitlin Sandeno will be put to the test in several races against Japan’s best.

Sandeno takes on Sachiko Yamada in the 400 and 800 freestyles tonight. Sandeno has the sixth fastest time in the world in the 800 this year, at 8:34.65. Yamada’s time of 8:34.44 is fourth. Yamada is second in the 400 freestyle at 4:09.80 and Sandeno is right behind at 4:10.74.

In Friday’s 200 butterfly, Japan’s Maki Mita is fourth in the world (2:08.13), teammate Yuko Nakanishi is fifth (2:10.16) and Sandeno is eighth (2:10.86).

In the 200 breaststroke Saturday, Sandeno and San Clemente High’s Kristen Caverly will face Masami Tanaka, who has the world’s fastest time this year in 2:24.12. Caverly’s best is 2:30.11, and Sandeno’s is 2:32.51.

In the men’s competition, USC’s Lenny Krayzelburg will face Newport Harbor’s Aaron Peirsol in two highly anticipated races. The two will meet Friday in the 200 backstroke, where Krayzelburg holds the world record (1:55.87), but Peirsol swam this year’s fastest time (1:57.03).

In the 100 backstroke Sunday, Krayzelburg, who again holds the world record (53.60), will be tested by not only Peirsol, but also by Newport Beach’s Bobby Brewer.

Today’s competition begins at 5 p.m. Preliminaries begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the finals at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

ANOTHER BIG MEET

In addition to those competing at the Swim Meet of Champions, more than 600 young swimmers also are expected to compete at the Irvine Novaquatics AA meet at Heritage Aquatic Complex.

The meet begins today and lasts through Monday, showcasing some of the nation’s top young swimmers in age group trials and finals.

The 800-meter freestyle opens the meet at 5 tonight.

Another 500 competitors are expected at the Industry Hills AA meet, which runs today through Sunday.

RECORD-BREAKING MONTH

In the last month, U.S. Olympic hopefuls have gotten a glimpse of what they’ll be up against in Australia, and it’s a formidable sight. Eight world records have fallen since the beginning of May.

Inge DeBruijn of the Netherlands set three women’s world records in the 50 freestyle (24.39), the 100 freestyle (53.80), and the 50 butterfly (25.64). Australia’s Susan O’Neill topped the 200 butterfly mark (2:05.81).

Michigan’s Tom Malchow set a men’s 200-meter butterfly record (1:55.18). Australia’s Ian Thorpe set two marks in the 200-meter freestyle (1:45.51) and the 400 freestyle (3:41.33), and countryman Geoff Huegill set a record in the 50 butterfly (23.60).

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