Beard Gets Established With Win

She used to get asked about meeting her then-idol Dennis Rodman, who almost seemed like a cartoon character in the eyes of a teenage girl.

Eight years later, at the Janet Evans Invitational on Sunday in Long Beach, Amanda Beard found herself fielding questions about the existence of a relationship with Australian swim star Ian Thorpe.

Beard, indeed, has grown up in front of the world. Even if she can’t quite get her head around the new role of team sage.

“Yeah, because I’m only 22,” she said. “It’s really weird ... being the wise older one. I don’t feel very wise.”

Why not?

“I’m still a baby,” she said, laughing.

Then again, age has usually had little bearing on how Beard has performed in the pool.

She made her first U.S. Olympic team at 14, clutching a teddy bear on the deck at the trials in 1996. Now, she is on the verge of making her third consecutive team, possibly in three individual events, the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes and 200 individual medley.

Beard, who grew up in Irvine but is now based in Tucson, had a relaxed attitude toward the Evans meet, skipping the breaststroke races. She completed her schedule by winning the 200 individual medley in 2 minutes 15.22 seconds. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was second in 2:16.14.

“It was exhausting and it was tough,” said Beard, who was not happy with her time but pleased with the placement.

But this is all about establishing routine and getting a feel for the surroundings in Long Beach, which also will be the site of the U.S. Olympic trials in July.

Beard and many of the other top swimmers have only recently finalized their plans for the trials.

For instance, Natalie Coughlin’s versatility made it difficult for her to whittle down her race schedule.

Coughlin, who won the 100 backstroke in 1:00.80, her third victory here, said Sunday she is swimming the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle at trials. But she also could be on as many as three relays at the Olympics.

Jenny Thompson said Coughlin told her she was skipping the 100 butterfly when they were doing a photo shoot a few months ago.

“I was like, ‘Wow, thanks,’ ” Thompson said. “I was surprised, actually, but she does have choices to make.”

Beard will be doing a major juggling act on one day at the trials. She figures it is worth the risk.

“The 100 breast and 200 IM actually overlap each other,” she said. “The finals for the 100 breast are the same day as the semis of the 200 IM. So I’m just trying, in all of my meets, to put in lot of events, so I kind of get used to working a lot and hope I can handle it.

“I’ve been swimming pretty well in my 200 IM, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ So if I don’t make it, it never was my best event.”

Beard is the former American record holder in the 100 breaststroke, and is the co-world record holder in the 200 breaststroke, equaling the mark last summer at the world championships in Barcelona.

It was only in the last year she started feeling comfortable with the individual medley.

“My time started dropping and I felt very strong in it and I was racing top people and sometimes beating them. I must be pretty good,” Beard said, laughing.

“I think it’s one of the toughest races out there, so you have to be strong in all the events. It’s very hard to train in that event, but I think it’s made me a tougher competitor and it lets me branch out a little bit.”

The breaststroke often bails her out in the new race.

“My backstroke is definitely really weak,” Beard said. “I just try to hang on the best that I can. I know I can catch up to everyone on the breaststroke and hold them off on the freestyle. It’s really the 50 I’ve got to go for. I get nervous when I’m swimming that they’re going to catch me, so I just put my head down and kick as hard as I can. I can feel them right there.”

Beard was just as emphatic when questions about Thorpe started coming her way, noting she has ruled out guys this summer.

A report in the Australian paper linked her with Thorpe.

“Swimming first,” Beard said.

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Other winners included Lenny Krayzelburg of the Irvine Novaquatics in the 100 backstroke (55.28), who called it an improvement over his last two meets in which he tightened up a bit.

Randall Bal of Stanford was second in 55.61, and was hampered by hitting the lane lines during the race.

“Probably had more to do with myself,” he said.