Phelps Gets a Split Decision

In the matter of an hour, Michael Phelps faced down two world-record holding swimmers. In the matter of a couple of minutes, Phelps was 1-1.

Aaron Peirsol, the fastest in the world in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, gave Phelps his first loss of the Santa Clara XXXVII International swim meet. Peirsol, 20, a University of Texas sophomore from Irvine, never gave up the lead, breaking his own meet record in a time of 1 minute 56.95 seconds. Phelps, 18, was second in 1:57.98.

Earlier in the evening Phelps had subdued Ian Crocker, world-record holder in the 100-meter butterfly. Phelps outsprinted Crocker, a Texas teammate of Peirsol’s, to win in 52.39 seconds, also a meet record. Crocker finished in 52.56, then said he was happy to get a head-to-head meeting with Phelps. He just wasn’t thrilled with the result. Yet.

“It’s only the beginning,” Crocker said. “This is a process.”

As Phelps, from Baltimore, works toward deciding which Olympic events he will swim in his effort to equal Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals, his top American challengers won’t make things easy.

Peirsol was the chaser four years ago, measuring himself against Lenny Krayzelburg, asking for chances to meet Krayzelburg head-to-head.

No longer a teenager and firmly in charge of the 200- and 100-meter backstroke over the last couple of years, Peirsol is now the veteran being chased by Phelps in the 200.

Dave Salo, who was his coach at Irvine Novaquatics until Peirsol left for college, said it would be fascinating watching the Peirsol-Phelps rivalry this summer.

“It’s good for both of them,” Salo said. “It’s good for each of them to be pushed. The same with Michael and Ian.”

There’s a new face emerging here this weekend, 14-year-old Katie Hoff, a ninth-grader who won the women’s 400-meter individual medley Saturday night. Hoff has made four finals so far this weekend and her first win came in a 400-IM field that included 2000 Olympian Kaitlin Sandeno of Lake Forest.

Hoff, 5 feet -8, 125 pounds and, she said, “still growing,” swims out of North Baltimore Swim Club, the home of Phelps. But Hoff only occasionally trains in the same pool as Phelps.

Natalie Coughlin and Tara Kirk won their second events of the meet Saturday. Coughlin took the women’s 100 backstroke in a time of 1:00.66 and Kirk won the 100 breaststroke, touching just ahead of Staciana Stitts of the Novaquatics. Kirk’s time was 1:08.40 to Stitts’ 1:08.62.

And sprinter Gary Hall is back, attempting to make his third Olympic team. The 29-year-old came in third in the 50-meter freestyle behind Novaquatic teammates Jason Lezak and Bart Kizierowski, who tied for first in 22.57 seconds. Hall finished in 22.87.

“How’d the race go?” Hall said.

“Let’s see. We dove into the pool. We swam. We touched the wall. How’s that?”

That’s the 50. That’s Hall.

He’s ready to give it another go.