Peirsol Sets Another Record

The practice round that was better known as the TYR Swim Meet of Champions came to a conclusion Sunday in the Marguerite Recreation Center at Mission Viejo, leaving the United States competitors feeling confident about the upcoming FINA world championships.

Aaron Peirsol set his second record of the four-day meet in winning the men’s 100-meter backstroke. Peirsol’s teammate on the Irvine Novaquatics, Gabrielle Rose, won her third event, the women’s 200 individual medley.

Amanda Beard, another local swimmer bound for next month’s world championships at Barcelona, Spain, just missed a meet record in the 100 breaststroke after breaking the 200 breaststroke mark Saturday. And the meet concluded with a thrilling side-by-side race in the men’s 1,500 freestyle between Erik Vendt of the Trojan Swim Club and Larsen Jensen of the Mission Viejo Nadadores.

“I’ve been looking over meet results all summer and the U.S. is looking really, really strong,” said Vendt, who won in 15:32.42. “I think it’s going to be another lopsided victory for us, like Duel in the Pool. We’ll prove, hands down, that we’re the best.”

Because of shoulder soreness, Vendt had not competed since Duel in the Pool, a fast-paced dual meet between the U.S. and Australia on April 6 at Indianapolis. The Americans won the event, 196-74.

Vendt, 22, who won a silver medal in the 400 individual medley at the 2000 Olympics, swam alongside Jensen the entire race, turning a 0.23 deficit into a 1.03 victory in the final 100 meters. Jensen, 17, is the American record holder in the 800 freestyle.

“It’s always good to race Larsen Jensen,” Vendt said. “He’s the best miler in the nation, based purely off of the stats.”

Peirsol, the world record holder in the 200-meter backstroke, won at half that distance in 55.27, bettering the 11-year-old meet record of 55.34 set by Jeff Rouse.

Rose, 25, won the 200 individual medley in 2:15.88, adding to her weekend victories in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Beard, an Irvine High graduate swimming for Tucson Ford Aquatics, won the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.77.

Ous Mellouli and Kaitlin Sandeno of Trojan finished their busy meet with victories and each earned high-point honors. Mellouli won his fourth event, the 200 individual medley, in 2:06.29. Sandeno won the women’s 1,500 freestyle in 16:53.91.

Mellouli will swim for his native Tunisia at the world championships and Sandeno did not qualify because she was injured for most of last year.