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OMAHA, Neb. — When it comes to versatility in women's swimming, it seems all discussions in recent years have revolved around two central players — Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff.
Those conversations inevitably end up veering in slightly different directions, however. Coughlin is a proven champion with a sprinter's mentality, whereas Hoff is a rising star with a flair for distance. The two met in the middle Wednesday in the 200-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, a race American coach Mark Schubert predicted would be one of the most dramatic of the week because of the talent at its center.
His forecast went true to form. For a pair whose paths seldom cross in the pool, Coughlin and Hoff turned in a performance to remember. Coughlin, despite rarely swimming this event, flirted with the world record for the first 100 meters before Hoff beat her to the wall and recaptured her American record in 2 minutes, 9.71 seconds. Coughlin, a Concord native, followed in 2:10.32 to earn her second berth to the Beijing Olympics.
"Natalie kind of threw the gauntlet down in the 200 IM," Schubert said. "Most of the coaches in the country feel it's potentially her best event because she doesn't have a bad stroke and she's so dominant off the walls. And then you have someone like Katie Hoff, who's really been lighting it up in every event."
Moraga native Kim Vandenberg also carved her path to Beijing with a
Wednesday's itinerary packed quite a wallop for the 19-year-old Hoff. First, she won the 200 freestyle in American record time of 1:55.88. Forty-nine minutes later, she was standing side-by-side with Coughlin for the 200 IM final. She is now 4-for-4 at the trials.
"(The double) was really hard," said Hoff, the youngest member of the entire U.S. delegation at the 2004 Athens Olympics. "I felt like my legs were going to collapse. When you're a youngster, you do that stuff all the time. It's harder when you're 19."
For a time, domestic bragging rights in the 200 IM belonged to Hoff. She first set the American record in 2005 and held it for nearly three years. Not that Coughlin minded. She wanted nothing to do with the event, recently claiming to have an "emotional block" with a race that appeared to be irrevocably linked to a difficult time in her swimming past.
Eight years ago, Coughlin ventured to the 2000 trials and was widely considered a sure bet to make the Olympic team in the 200 IM. A lingering shoulder injury derailed those plans, and she finished fourth. Coughlin avoided the 200 IM with steadfast conviction until recently easing it back into her repertoire, starting at the Stanford Invitational in April. Last month, Coughlin broke Hoff's American record at the Janet Evans Invitational with a time of 2:09.77 but still came to Omaha calling it part of her "contingency plan."
"This is just icing on the cake, a little surprise," Coughlin said.
Like Hoff, Vandenberg delivered the goods with two quick, demanding swims. Unlike Hoff, she had only 25 minutes to recover.
Vandenberg hopped out of the pool after the 200 freestyle but was right back in the water for the semifinals of the 200 butterfly, her signature event. She placed fourth overall in 2:08.86 with the top eight moving to today's final. Then she turned toward Michael Phelps, who won the men's 200 butterfly, and his coach Bob Bowman and delivered a special message: "That wasn't so bad."
"I've trained myself in every possible way to get to this point," she said. "I'm excited for everything to come."
Contact Jennifer Starks at jstarks@bayareanewsgroup.com.
