Hoff's big night overshadows Phelps

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BY TOMMY DAHLK / Lincoln Journal Star

OMAHA — Michael who?

Michael Phelps might have won the 200 butterfly final Wednesday at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, but all eyes were on Katie Hoff after the 19-year-old won both the 200 individual medley and 200 freestyle finals at Qwest Center Omaha.

Although the events were just 45 minutes apart, Hoff still managed to break the American record in both.

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Katie Hoff celebrates her first-place finish in the women's 200-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha on Wednesday. (AP)

Katie Hoff celebrates her first-place finish in the women's 200-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha on Wednesday. (AP)

Yep, Phelps, arguably the most celebrated swimmer in American history, served as the opening act Wednesday night to a fellow Baltimore swimmer he has referred to as his “little sister.” Everyone seemed to be impressed with Hoff’s night.

“She’s a stud for doing the 200 free and 200 IM double,” said Natalie Coughlin, who finished second in the 200 IM. “That’s an incredibly tough double, and I don’t know of another female swimmer that could do it so successfully.”

Hoff cruised in the first 150 meters in the 200 freestyle and was flirting with the world record. However, during the last 20 meters, Allison Schmitt went into her fastest gear and caught up to Hoff. Hoff squeaked out a win by just 4 hundredths of a second en route to her first American record of the night. Her time of 1 minute, 55.88 seconds was 36-hundredths of a second off the world record.

“Best time,” Hoff said. “Can’t complain. I mean she (Schmitt) gave me a great race, and that can only mean good things for Beijing.”

The 200 IM came down to the wire as well. Hoff was pitted against Coughlin, the American record holder in the event.

Coughlin came out at a blistering pace and swam the butterfly in :27.27. Her butterfly split was just over seven-tenths of a second faster than the world-record pace. Coughlin kept the pace up in the backstroke and finished the first half almost two full seconds ahead of Hoff.

Coughlin couldn’t keep up her world record-shattering pace in the breaststroke, and Hoff and Ariana Kukors just edged her out heading into the last 50 meters.

“My breaststroke kind of got away from me a little bit,” Coughlin said. “It didn’t feel like the right rhythm.”

Hoff took control during the final 50 meters and just edged out Coughlin to cap off her epic night. Hoff was relieved to pick up the win in the stacked event.

“Going into the race (200 IM), I was thinking I could have a great race here and finish third,” Hoff said.

In the midst of Hoff’s record-breaking night, Phelps picked up his third final win of the trials in the 200 butterfly. Phelps turned in a time of 1:52.20, which was just 9-hundredths of a second off his world-record time.

Despite recording the second-best time ever in the event, Phelps was disappointed he didn’t break his world record.

“I just don’t think I took the race out like I should have,” Phelps said. “I was too relaxed in the first 50, to be honest.“

After the trials conclude Sunday, Hoff will have swum more total meters than Phelps in Omaha.

The 23-year old Phelps blamed his age.

“Yean, she’s younger than me,” Phelps said with a laugh. “I have a few years on her.”

Phelps finds the suit questions comical: Over the last few days, Phelps has answered countless questions about his new suit, the Speedo Lzr Racer. He can’t help but laugh whenever he gets asked about it.

“Every press conference someone asks about the suit,” Phelps said. “When it comes down to it, yeah, I am wearing the fastest suit in the world and that’s a fact. I just think it’s funny. I was watching ‘PTI’ yesterday before I came over. It had it on the side, and it said ‘suits.’ It was an upcoming topic they were going to talk about.”