A break in record game

OMAHA -- All these world records simply feed the voracious appetite for more.

After four in just the first day and a half of the U.S. Olympic swim trials, it almost seemed disappointing there were none Monday night at the Qwest Center.

"I knew you all wanted to see a world record, but it just wasn't in the cards for me," said Brendan Hansen, sounding almost apologetic.

Hansen, who made his second Olympic team, certainly didn't have to feel sorry about a sub-minute finish, winning the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 59.93 seconds, despite a so-so start and bad turn. Mark Gangloff was second with 1:00.42.

Hansen's disappointment was palpable, and he fired off a frank answer when a Japanese reporter, a member of a large throng following him, asked what he had to say to his longtime rival Kosuke Kitajima.

Hansen: "I don't have anything to say to him. Next question."

The words "world record" had everyone on edge around here, especially the proud owners. For a brief moment, Aaron Peirsol thought his own in the 100 backstroke might be in jeopardy when he was in the mixed zone after his semifinal and heard the public address announcer say that Randall Bal was flirting with world-record pace in the second semifinal of the 100 back.

Enough to get the heart rate up again. But the Orange County-raised Peirsol doesn't get unnerved by much and kept chatting with reporters. Bal then went 53.09, preserving Peirsol's record of 52.98.

"Geez, that's good," Peirsol said. "That's close."

Then there was the attitude of Natalie Coughlin. She lost her world record in the 100 backstroke in the morning preliminaries when Hayley McGregory took it away with a swim of 59.15.

One heat later, Coughlin grabbed it back, reclaiming her property by going 59.03. She later told reporters in the mixed zone that she didn't want McGregory to have it very long.

After all, Coughlin had held the mark, uninterrupted since 2002 when she became the first woman to break the minute barrier in this event.

Neither McGregory (59.48) nor Coughlin (59.74) came close to the world record in the semifinals Monday night.

"I wasn't surprised by Hayley," Coughlin said. "Hayley's been coming on strong."

Very little about Coughlin surprises her longtime coach, Teri McKeever. Nonetheless, McKeever was pleased by the morning response.