Swimming: Lochte shines in tough treble

OMAHA: Ryan Lochte booked two Olympic berths with a gritty treble on the sixth day of the US Olympic swimming trials. Lochte opened his night with a triumph in the 200m backstroke, giving himself a chance to defend the gold medal he won in Beijing. Half an hour later came a head-to-head clash with 14-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps, who won the 200m individual medley. Lochte capped his day with the equal sixth-fastest time in the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly. “Tonight was probably the most pain I’ve endured in a swimming competition,” admitted Lochte. “But I was up for the challenge. I knew I could do it. The best thing about swimming is racing and stepping up against the world’s best.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2012.