Georgian Kowal continues strong performance at UltraSwim

Posted 7:25PM on Sunday 13th June 2004 ( 20 years ago )

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kristy Kowal won the 200-meter breaststroke at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Saturday, finishing in 2 minutes, 30.02 seconds. The victory comes one day after Kowal, competing for the Athens Bulldog Swim Club, won the 100 breaststroke. Her time in the 200 was more than five seconds off her clocking in the 2000 Olympics, where she won the silver medal. ``We all just came off intensive training and we're getting ready to start our taper,'' Kowal said. ``I've been consistently 2:29 or 2:30, and when you get older when you taper you drop more time so, hopefully, that's where we are.'' The 25-year-old Kowal, who struggled in 2003, finishing fifth in the 200 breaststroke and eighth in the 100 at the U.S. Open, hopes her weekend in Charlotte is part of her turnaround. ``I don't have any concerns, I've put the work in and I'm pretty much relaxed,'' Kowal said. In the 200 butterfly, NCAA champion Mary DeScenza won in 2:11.34. ``It's a good time for this point in the season,'' said DeScenza, a junior at Georgia also competing for the Athens Bulldogs. ``We all will go so much faster in the trials.'' In other women's events, reigning 50-meter freestyle Pan American gold medalist Kara Lynn Joyce won the event in 25.62; Courtney Shealy won the 100 backstroke in 1:02.12; and Jessica Foschi took the 400 freestyle in 4:16.86. In men's events, Michael Raab won the 200 butterfly in 1:58.94; Cullen Jones won the 50 freestyle in 23.24; and David Cromwell won the 100 backstroke in 57.96. Vlad Polyakov, who won the 100 breaststroke Friday, took the 200 breaststroke in 2:18.42, and Canadian Andrew Hurd won the 400 freestyle in 3:55.23.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/6/157707