Tue, Mar 27, 2007 page19

• Van den Hoogenband and Phelps set up showdown

  • AP
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  Pieter van den Hoogenband was the fastest qualifier in the men's 200m freestyle yesterday at the world championships, just ahead of the US' Michael Phelps.

  Those two were part of the "Race of the Century" at the 2004 Athens Olympics, with Dutchman Hoogie finishing second and Phelps third behind gold medalist Ian Thorpe. Any hopes of a true rematch were ruined when Thorpe retired last November.

  Van den Hoogenband finished yesterday in a time of 1 minute, 47.36 seconds while Phelps, who won his first gold medal of the meet on Sunday as part of the American 400m freestyle relay team, was second in 1:47.52.

  

  Swimmers including Michael Phelps, fourth from the back, enter the water during a men's 200m freestyle heat in the Susie O'Neill pool at the FINA Swimming World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday.

  PHOTO: EPA

  Phelps is hoping to show he can make another run at Mark Spitz's Olympic record of seven gold medals. He plans to swim eight events in Melbourne -- the same eight that produced six gold medals and two bronzes at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

  If his body holds up at these championships, he'll try again to take down Spitz's hallowed mark at Beijing next year.

  Park Tae-hwan, who won South Korea's first-ever medal with a victory in the 400m freestyle on Sunday, was back in the pool yesterday morning, finishing third fastest in the 200m free.

  "I would like to win, but if I don't, there are many good swimmers [here] who are capable of winning," Park said of the 200. "If I don't win this time I still have the Beijing Olympics."

  Park said his 400m win hadn't changed him, at least overnight.

  "It's my first medal but I don't feel any more famous than when I arrived here," Park said. "Now I'm apparently world famous, but I don't feel it."

  American Natalie Coughlin qualified first in the 100m backstroke yesterday at 1:00.38. The world record holder has taken on a larger program than usual for these championships, with plans to swim four individual events plus the relays.

  Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was second.

  American Aaron Peirsol, the world record holder and defending Olympic and world champion in the men's 100 backstroke, coasted through the morning prelims with the fourth-fastest time. Markus Rogan of Austria was fastest at 54.34.

  Banned substance

  Australia's anti-doping agency said yesterday that a banned substance was found at a hotel hosting a number of teams attending the world swimming championships.

  There was no evidence that the substance belonged to any athletes or support personnel staying at the hotel.

  A small box containing vials of a clear liquid was found in a common room at the Parkview Hotel last week. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said tests on the vials did not show any substance prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Code.

  However, ASADA said, small bags found with the containers tested positive for the presence of Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which is a banned substance during competition under the world anti-doping code.

  "ASADA at this time has no evidence which links the prohibited substance to an in-competition violation of doping rules," spokesman Simon Tidy said.
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