July 31, 2011
SHANGHAI, CHINA -
With a strong freestyle leg, former California swimmer Nathan Adrian led the United States to the gold medal with a come-from-behind win in the 400-meter medley relay Sunday (July 31) at the World Championships in Shanghai, China. Adrian, who helped Cal to the 2011 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving team title, swan a 47.64 leg of the 100-meter freestyle to help Team USA edge Australia by two-tenths of a second, 3:32.06 to 3:32.26.
Adrian teamed with Nick Thoman, Mark Gangloff and Michael Phelps to win his first gold medal of the World Championships. The U.S. had trailed the field in fourth place at the end of the breaststroke leg, but a solid swim by Phelps in the butterfly moved the team into second, behind Japan. Adrian then took the lead at the final turn, and held off Australia's James Magnussen down the stretch for the win.
"It's what we needed to do," Adrian said. "It's tough with the world champion chasing you - it's not a pressure-less situation. I said earlier (this week) that on a relay, it stings a little when you lose, but it's that much better when you win, so it's nice to go out on a win with that one."
The United States has only lost the 400 medley three times in the history of the World Championships - in 1998, 2001 and 2007.
Swimming the anchor of the gold medal-winning 400 medley relay was the fourth final for Adrian at the 2011 World Championships. On Saturday, he placed fourth in the finals of the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.93, trailing only Cesar Cielo (21.52) of Brazil, Luca Dotto of Italy (21.90) and Alain Bernard of France (21.92). On July 24, he swam the anchor leg (47.40) of the United States' 400-meter freestyle relay that captured the bronze medal in a time of 3:11.96, trailing Australia (3:11.00) and France (3:11.14). Included in Team USA's 400 free relay was Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale and Jason Lezak. On July 28, Adrian placed sixth in the finals of the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 48.23.
Another swimmer with Cal ties who competed in Sunday's 400 medley relay final was sophomore Marcin Tarczynski for Poland. Tarczynski swam the backstroke leg for his native Poland and compiled a time of 55.69, as Poland placed eighth in the finals of the 400 medley relay with a mark of 3:37.44.
On the college stage, Adrian approached Matt Biondi-like status for the Golden Bears as he was a three-time national champion in the 100-yard freestyle, a two-time winner of the 50 free and a member of the 2011 NCAA champion 400 free and 200 and 400 medley relays. He was the 2009 and 2011 Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year, as well as the 2011 CSCAA Swimmer of the NCAA championships - all after earning a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 400 free relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Other swimmers with recent Cal connections competing at the World Championships included graduated senior Martti Aljand (Estonia, 100 and 200 breaststroke), graduated senior Guy Barnea (Israel, 50 and 100 backstroke), graduated senior Damir Dugonjic (Slovenia, 50 breaststroke), senior Martin Liivamagi (Estonia, 200 IM), graduated senior Graeme Moore (South Africa, 100 freestyle, 400 free relay) and Tarczynski (Poland, 100 backstroke, 200 IM, 400 medley relay).
Moore swam the lead-off leg (48.15) of South Africa's 400 free relay that placed sixth at the World Championships. Individually Dugonjic, the three-time NCAA champ in the 100-yard breast, placed eighth in the 50-meter breaststroke at the World Championships with a mark of 28.00. Former Cal swimmer Dominik Meichtry (2005-08) was seventh in the 200 free (1:47.02) at the World Championships on July 26 for his native Switzerland.
