U.S. Saves Its Best for Last

U.S. swimmers waited until the last individual events of the day Friday to put a stop to Japanese dominance at the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo.

After sending an early message at the four-day event with record-setting performances in the men’s and women’s 800 on Thursday, the 21-member Japanese Olympic team went to work quickly on the second day of the meet, sweeping the first three places in the women’s 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly, while taking titles in the men’s 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly.

But Americans, who won’t hold their Olympic trials until August, rallied under their club banners in the 400-meter event, with El Toro High senior Kaitlin Sandeno and former Laguna Hills standout Chad Carvin out-distancing their respective fields.

Sandeno, a disappointing third in the 800, won the 400 in a time of 4:13.14. Sachiko Yamada, the 800-meter champion from Japan, was second in 4:14.06.

Carvin won the men’s 400 in 3:52.37. Japan’s Masato Hirano, the 800-meter champion, finished second in 3:55:20.

This meet is supposed to serve as a coming-out party for the Japanese Olympic team, and until the 400 everything was going according to plan.

“I’m sad. That’s all I can say,” Yamada said. “I’m very disappointed.”

USC’s Lenny Krayzelburg, the world record-holder in the 200-meter backstroke, held off Newport Harbor High junior Aaron Peirsol for first in the event with a meet-record 1:58.95.

Former Irvine High swimmer Jason Lezak had the most dramatic comeback. A poor showing in the preliminaries of the men’s 100-meters left him in the No. 8 lane.

But Lezak responded to win in a meet-record 50.46.

“I was tight and cold in the morning, but I got lucky and just gone in the final,” Lezak said. “But the important thing is, I got in.”