Coughlin sets record in 200-yard freestyle

The telltale roar of the crowd helped push Natalie Coughlin to an American record in the 200-yard freestyle, and the same noise later concerned Brendan Hansen, setting off a flicker of doubt in his mind.

After all, that’s bound to occur when swim star Michael Phelps happens to be in the vicinity, let alone in the water at the same time.

“I heard the crowd start going, and I thought, ‘I hope Michael’s not that close to me,’ ” Hansen said. “Because he always finds the way to pull stuff out. It’s the rivalries and the races you have. Tonight I was a little nervous just because Michael’s in mine.”

Instead, the noise Sunday at the Belmont Plaza Olympic pool in Long Beach was in recognition of Hansen’s performance at the Toyota Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming.

Hansen won the 200 breaststroke in 1 minute 53.78 seconds. His margin of victory was decisive as Phelps took second in 1:56.90.

Said Phelps: “It was fun. I’ve never really raced him in that situation. To be able to swim him head to head ... I could see him pretty much the whole time out there. I was like, ‘Maybe I can catch him.’ Then I was like, ‘What am I thinking?’ There was absolutely no way I could catch him.

“It was a good swim. It was definitely fun to race the best breaststroker of all time.”

Phelps was pleased by his time in a rare appearance in the breaststroke, saying it was his best at that distance.

He cruised to an easy victory in his other individual race Sunday, taking the 400 individual medley in 3:39.61. Ous Mellouli’s 3:43.0 took second.

All this set the stage for one last set of things to do before he leaves Long Beach, a formidable set of tasks, even for Phelps.

Bring on Ian Crocker, Aaron Peirsol and, one more time, Hansen.

“Tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” Phelps said. “Crocker in the 100 fly, Peirsol in the 100 back and Hansen in the 100 breast.

“So back to back to back. It’s going to be a tough day,” he said, “but it is going to be fun to go out and race.”

Peirsol took a break from the backstroke races and won the 200 freestyle (1:34.96), and the self-coached Jason Lezak of Irvine took the 50 freestyle (19.49).

Kaitlin Sandeno and Coughlin continued their stellar efforts. Coughlin, who barely missed her American record in the 100 freestyle Saturday, established an American mark in the 200 freestyle and later won the 50 freestyle (22.03).

Coughlin took the 200 freestyle in 1:41.66, and Sandeno was second in 1:46.61.

Coughlin held the old record at that distance, having gone 1:42.65 in December 2002.

“Obviously, I’m very, very happy with my time,” Coughlin said of the record. “But I really have nothing to compare it to the last two or three years.”

Sandeno won three races in the first two days of the meet, and following the 200 freestyle, she added a fourth title, taking the 400 individual medley in 4:09.74.

*

Courtney Eads of Upland suffered physical difficulties in the water during the 500 freestyle Saturday night and needed assistance from the lifeguards, sending a shock through the crowd and other swimmers in the pool and on the deck.

The 20-year-old, however, recovered enough to swim in the morning heats Sunday and made the consolation final in the 200 freestyle.

Tonight’s finals have been switched to a 5 p.m. start by organizers. The final session of the meet had been scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

lisa.dillman@latimes.com