Wednesday night, Day 3 of the 2012 U.S. Olympics Team Trials in Swimming, brings with it three rounds of semi-finals and four finals. The highlight is another showdown between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps (another “Duel in the Puel”? No? OK.).
Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps Ready For 200m Free Duel Wednesday Night
NBC will have your live TV coverage from 8-9 p.m. ET (except for you, Mountain and Pacific time zone friends). NBC Sports Network has the (tape-delayed) heats from 7-8 p.m., and NBCOlympics.com is handling the live stream online.
Men’s 200m Free
Phelps! Lochte! Swimming!
Lochte and Phelps will meet in the second event on the night’s schedule, the 200-meter free, set to begin shortly after 8 p.m. ET. Lochte turned in the fastest time in the preliminary heats (1:46.25), but it was just 0.02 seconds ahead of Phelps. Phelps is the defending Olympic gold medalist and the swimmer who has dominated this event since 2004. Not only it is expected that the two rivals will advance, but Wednesday night’s meeting should be a preview of London, where the American duo will likely finish 1-2. But in which order?
Worth watching: Phelps is also in the 200-meter fly semi-finals (though he could scratch it), the second-to-last event Wednesday night.
Women’s 100-meter Back
Seventeen-year-old Missy Franklin and 18-year-old Rachel Bootsma were the top two qualifiers in the heats, both turning in times under a minute, and are considered the favorites. But veteran Natalie Coughlin, the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist ,can’t be ignored.
Men’s 100-meter Back
Ryan Lochte had the second-fastest time in the heats but opted to scratch from Tuesday night’s semi-finals and instead focus on the 200m free. That leaves Matt Grevers, David Plummer and Nick Thoman as the top three contenders fighting for two spots.
Women’s 100-meter Breast
The final finals (ha!) of the evening will likely be a race between teammates Rebecca Soni and Jessica Hardy. The former is the defending World Champion, while the latter owns the world record.
Stay with our StoryStream for the latest from the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming in Omaha as Team USA is decided.
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