By DAN ALBANO
The Orange County Register
IRVINE – Aaron Peirsol often appears relaxed before his races and an encounter with Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte didn’t seem to cause any radical personality change Saturday night. But Peirsol’s easygoing and sometimes-goofy nature wasn’t the only force at work.
The world’s greatest dorsal swimmer had been put at ease by his sister, Hayley.
Before Aaron’s 200-meter backstroke final, Hayley opened the closing night of the U.S. swimming nationals by defeating reigning world champion Kate Ziegler in the 800 free.
“My sister took a lot of pressure off me,” Aaron said. “My night was done after that.”
But Aaron wasn’t that generous. The world-record holder and reigning Olympic champion used a surge in the final 30 meters to outduel Phelps and Lochte to capture the race in 1 minute, 56.36 seconds in front of a sellout crowd at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center.
Phelps suffered his first defeat of the week, taking a clear second in 1:57.09. Lochte touched in an almost-distant third in 1:58.13. But before Aaron’s late breakaway, the race was tight with Aaron positioned in the lane between Phelps and Lochte.
“I was looking around trying to push these guys back - I only have two hands,” said Aaron, the former Newport Harbor star who hasn’t lost a 200 since taking the silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
When Aaron spotted the timing board, he raised both his hands in disbelief. He said he felt like he had raced in the 1:54 range, not the third-fastest time in the world this year behind Russia’s Arkady Vyatchanin (1:55.44) and Germany’s Helge Meeuw (1:56.34).
“We were all out for one thing only - and that was to win,” said Aaron, whose world record is 1:54.66. “You try to break world records on your own time.”
Aaron has been fighting a sore shoulder - from all things - arm wrestling. But the only challenges he wanted to talk about were more encounters with Phelps, which he’d welcome. The two appeared headed toward another showdown at the Pan Pacific Championships on Aug. 17-21 in Canada.
Hayley and Ziegler, part of a fast 400 freestyle final Tuesday, were close for much of the first 600 meters before Hayley made her move going into the turn at the 650. Hayley went on to finish in a lifetime-best 8:26.45, the second fastest time in the world this year.
While Aaron said he was calm before his race, Hayley was nervous. She talked to her brother about it but he wasn’t much help.
“I was telling him, ‘I’m nervous,’ and he is, ‘I bet,’” Hayley said. “I’m like, ‘You don’t say that to someone who says they are nervous.’ ... Thanks.”
The men’s 1500 freestyle had some impressive results. In a battle of Olympians, Erik Vendt overtook Larsen Jensen to win in 15:05.41.
Mission Viejo Nadadores’ 17-year-old Chad La Tourette broke 15:20 for the first time in finishing fifth in 15:18.96 and likely qualified for an international team.