Evans qualifies for US Olympic trials
Source: Agencies |
January 15, 2012, Sunday
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JANET Evans' comeback bid at age 40 got serious on Friday as she qualified for Olympic trials, while also receiving a reminder of how far she remains off the pace.
In her first elite-level competition since coming out of retirement, the former United States gold medalist and world record holder qualified in the 400-meter freestyle at the Austin Grand Prix in Texas.
Evans qualified for the trials by winning her preliminary heat with a time of four minutes, 17.27 seconds, easily beating the qualifying standard of 4:19.39. Evans knocked about five seconds off of her best time coming into the meet at the University of Texas. That mark was good enough to qualify for the "B'' final at the Grand Prix about seven hours later. But with the Olympic trials qualifying time already behind her and a tougher field of competitors in the pool in the night's race, Evans faded to eighth and last place in 4:18.15.
"I was a little tight, a little tired," Evans said. "But this is all good. There's a lot to be happy about today. I was really nervous. I'm usually that spectator in the stands these days and now I'm down here with all the young kids, all the kids I've been watching swim over the years," Evans said.
Evans was 17 when she set the world record in the 400, one of three gold medals she won at the 1988 Seoul Games, and later set world marks in the 800 and 1,500 freestyle. She retired in 1996.
In her first elite-level competition since coming out of retirement, the former United States gold medalist and world record holder qualified in the 400-meter freestyle at the Austin Grand Prix in Texas.
Evans qualified for the trials by winning her preliminary heat with a time of four minutes, 17.27 seconds, easily beating the qualifying standard of 4:19.39. Evans knocked about five seconds off of her best time coming into the meet at the University of Texas. That mark was good enough to qualify for the "B'' final at the Grand Prix about seven hours later. But with the Olympic trials qualifying time already behind her and a tougher field of competitors in the pool in the night's race, Evans faded to eighth and last place in 4:18.15.
"I was a little tight, a little tired," Evans said. "But this is all good. There's a lot to be happy about today. I was really nervous. I'm usually that spectator in the stands these days and now I'm down here with all the young kids, all the kids I've been watching swim over the years," Evans said.
Evans was 17 when she set the world record in the 400, one of three gold medals she won at the 1988 Seoul Games, and later set world marks in the 800 and 1,500 freestyle. She retired in 1996.
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