Michael Phelps can rest easy. Ryan Lochte is not going to match his eight golds this week.
Lochte’s golden bid was derailed when the United States relay squad failed to even finish on the podium on the opening night of the short-course world championships.
Lochte enjoyed a dominant win in the 200-metre freestyle, but in the 400 free relay the US fell behind after Nathan Adrian’s dismal opening leg and Lochte had too much time to make up when he dived in for the anchor leg.
Never one to take things too seriously, Lochte wasn’t dwelling on the loss.
Meanwhile, China set the first swimming world record of 2010, winning the women’s 800 freestyle relay.
While world records fell by the dozens in 2008 and 2009, no marks had been set this year after rubberised bodysuits were outlawed – and there still has been no individual mark set in either the long- or short-course pool.
The quartet of Chen Qian, Tang Yi, Liu Jjing and Zhu Qianwei timed 7 minutes, 35.94 seconds, improving on the previous mark from the Netherlands two years ago by nearly three seconds.
Still, the biggest surprise was in the men’s relay.
The French team of Alain Bernard, Frederick Bousquet, Fabien Gilot and Yannick Agnel won in 3:04.78, with Russia a slim 0.04 behind and Cesar Cielo’s Brazil third, 0.96 back.
“A long time we are waiting for this victory, but you know when you believe in something you work hard for that and today it will pay,” Bernard said. “It’s maybe the first time for us on top of the international podium, but it’s not the last – that’s for sure.”
Normally the dominant force in relays, the US team of Adrian, Garrett Weber-Gale, Richard Berens and Lochte placed fourth, a distant 1.32 behind.
The US men hadn’t finished off the podium since they were disqualified at the 2007 long-course worlds due to a false start in morning heats.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps led off and Jason Lezak swam a memorable anchor leg against Bernard to secure a memorable win for the US.
Phelps and Lezak were not here, and it was stunning to see Adrian, who upset Cielo in both the 50 and 100 free at the Pan Pacific championships in August, swim so slow.
“I’m quite surprised. Actually, I’m almost disappointed,” Bousquet said of the Americans’ performance. “I wish they could have been in the fight, because it brings the intensity up. but I’m sure they’ll be there for Shanghai.”
The next long-course worlds are scheduled for Shanghai in July.
The US women – Katie Hoff, Dagny Knutson, Missy Franklin and Dana Volmer – also finished fourth in their relay.