Peirsol heads into 100 back finals as No. 2 seed

OMAHA, Neb. — Aaron Peirsol, a Newport Harbor High product, recorded the second-fastest time in the 100-meter backstroke semifinals event at the U.S. Olympic Trials Monday.

Peirsol, the world-record holder and reigning Olympic champion, finished in 53.26 seconds, giving him the second seed for today’s championship heat.

Randall Bal is the top seed after recording a time of 53.09, close to Peirsol’s world-record time of 52.98.

“I haven’t shaved yet,” Peirsol told Swimming World Magazine after seven swimmers broke 54 seconds in the race. “I was just trying to build the whole thing and take it step-by-step. I want to do better than I did tonight, just kind of build the race and get that under my belt.”

— From staff reports