Peirsol takes on rival today

FOUR LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Aaron Peirsol, the new backstroke king,

defeated the former, Lenny Krayzelburg, Tuesday in the 100-meter

backstroke, in which Krayzelburg owns the world record. Is today time

for Krayzelburg to dish out some payback?

Not if Peirsol has anything to say about it.

Peirsol, the Newport Harbor High product who is a three-time

world-record holder, is poised to show the swimming world that he

indeed owns the backstroke, against Krayzelburg, the former

world-record holder, in the 200 back today at the Phillips 66

National Swimming Championships at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex.

The last time the friendly rivals met was in July, when Peirsol

defeated Krayzelburg, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, by 24

one-hundredths of a second in the 200 back at the Janet Evans

Invitational.

Peirsol, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 200 back, broke

Krayzelburg’s world record in the 200 back at the Spring Nationals,

touching the wall in 1:55.15, in March.

Today’s events begin with the preliminaries, 9 a.m., and the

finals come at 5 p.m., eastern time. On Friday, Ryan Lean, a Newport

Harbor product headed for UC Berkeley, will compete in the 1,500,

while Hayley Peirsol is in the 800 free, and Nicole Mackey is in the

200 back. Hayley Peirsol and Mackey will be seniors at Newport Harbor

in the fall.

The Newport Beach quartet has been helping their club team, Irvine

Novaquatics, maintain a lead, thus far in the combined team scores.

The Novas hold a 10-point lead with 319 points through 20 events.

The nationals ends Saturday after 34 events. Circle C Swimming club

is in second.

Hayley Peirsol, who finished fifth in the 400 individual medley

Monday, and Mackey, who broke out in the 200 IM and came in eighth,

have been helping the Novas lead the women’s team scores with 167

points, 27 over second-place California Aquatics.

Last year, the Novas’ women’s team won the Summer Nationals title.

Novas’ Coach Dave Salo, who also coaches the Orange Coast College

swim teams, said Hayley Peirsol scratched the 200 freestyle she was

scheduled to compete in Wednesday, to concentrate on Friday’s 800

free and Saturday’s 1,500 free.

Aaron Peirsol and Lean have been making key contributions for

their club team, which are in second in the male team scores at 152

points, 99 points behind Circle C.