2012 Olympic Swimming Trials: Peter Vanderkaay, Conor Dwyer Qualify in 400 Freestyle

A strong finish in the 400-meter freestyle saw Peter Vanderkaay and Conor Dwyer seal their spots on the U.S. Olympic team headed to London.

Charlie Houchin jumped out to an early lead, and was ahead of the world record time through the first 100 meters. But he couldn’t fight off a charge from the three-time Olympic medalist Vanderkaay, who was close to Houchin through 150 and inched ahead of him at the halfway mark of the race. Houchin fought back and the pair were practically head-to-head going into the race’s final 100, and the two touched the wall almost simultaneously heading into the race’s final 50 meters, which is where things began to heat up. Dwyer charged in the final length of the pool, surpassing Houchin and nearly catching Vanderkaay, while Houchin fell to fourth.

Ryan Lochte was supposed to participate in the event, but withdrew from the qualifying heats for the event and therefore did not participate in the final. He’s got nine other events this week and just finished a run in the 400m individual medley, so that’s a lot of swimming for one day.

Here’s the complete results from the race:

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