INDIANAPOLIS — Ryan Lochte held off hard-charging Tyler Clary to win the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. national championships Tuesday night, leading a parade of Olympians who qualified for the world meet later this month.
Lochte and Clary made it a two-man race to the wall, with Lochte touching first in 4 minutes, 6.40 seconds. Clary, who swims at Michigan, finished in 4:06.96.
“My coach said I swam that race better than I ever swam it before,” Lochte said. “It’s right around my best time. I know I can go a lot faster at worlds.”
He rallied past Clary on the final turn.
“I knew the fly we were dead even and the backstroke he pulled away because I kept on looking at the monitor, and I knew I shouldn’t have been doing that,” Lochte said. “I was looking at it and I knew my breaststroke was stronger than his. I just tried to save as much energy as possible and saved it for that freestyle.”
Katie Hoff supplied the only surprise on opening night of the five-day meet. The Olympic silver medalist faded to sixth in the 400 freestyle, her latest disappointing result since the Beijing Games.
“She got behind and it’s just not there,” her new coach Bob Bowman said. “Katie’s been struggling physically. She’s still not right but she’s going to step up and try to do a better 200 (free).”
Hoff declined to speak with reporters after the race in which she finished more than 10 seconds off her personal best. Asked how she was doing, Bowman replied, “Not too well right now.”
Three weeks ago, a virus prevented Hoff from competing in Santa Clara, Calif. She needed a week to rest and recover, and Bowman said the time off was a setback. She switched to Bowman after winning the silver and two bronze medals in Beijing, not exactly the golden showing she been predicted to deliver.
Except for Hoff, Olympians dominated with the world championships looming nearly a year after Beijing.
Michael Phelps had the night off before swimming his first two events today.
Along with Lochte, Christine Magnuson, Peter Vanderkaay, Julia Smit, Mark Gangloff and Allison Schmitt all earned trips to Rome by winning titles. Smit and Gangloff set American records.
Magnuson won the 100 butterfly, touching first in 57.15 seconds at the Indiana University Natatorium. She was the silver medalist in Beijing.
“I think I can be better at worlds, which is exciting,” she said. “I know I can clean that up a little bit. I’m on the team, so I’m happy.”
Vanderkaay held off 20-year-old training partner Daniel Madwed to win the 400 freestyle in 3:45.17. Vanderkaay, who was fourth in Beijing, was under American record pace through the first 350 meters.
Madwed, who trains at Michigan, hugged the lane line and drafted off Vanderkaay throughout, but he couldn’t catch him down the stretch and finished second in 3:47.24.
“Dan is a great asset to have on the team,” Vanderkaay said. “We go at it every day. It’s fun to train with him and race with him.”
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