LOCHTE AND PHELPS ARE GOLDEN AT THE AUSTIN GRAND PRIX

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA. Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) won one gold medal each Friday on the first day of competition at the 2011 Austin Grand Prix. The meet, taking place at the University of Texas at Austin, runs through Sunday, January 16.

Lochte earned the top spot in the men’s 200m free with a time of 1:49.25. He was tied at the first 100 meters with Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) but was able to take the lead in the second half of the race for the win. Dave Walters (Yorktown, Va.) placed second in 1:50.63 and Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.) finished third in 1:51.39. Berens was fourth in 1:51.68. Phelps swam in the B final of the event and finished with a time of 1:49.90.

Phelps took home his first gold medal of the meet with a win in the men’s 100m fly with a time of 52.55. Lochte placed second in 53.65 while David Russell (Wellesley, Mass.) was third with a time of 53.75.

Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) earned gold with her strong swim in the women’s 200m free. She led the field after the first 100 meters and finished strong with a time of 1:58.69. Melissa Franklin (Centennial, Colo.) placed second in 1:59.00 and Elizabeth Pelton (Baltimore, Md.) was third in 2:00.07.

In the men’s 100m breast, 2008 Olympian Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.) placed first in 1:02.35. The race, which was one of the closest of the night, saw four of the eight finalists finishing under 1:03.00. Kevin Swander was second in 1:02.63 and Canada’s Scott Dickens was third in 1:02.70. On the women’s side, Canada’s Haylee Johnson won the 100m breast in 1:10.60, Siri Eva Kristiansen was second in 1:11.07 and Romy Landeck was third in 1:12.17.

Olympian Elaine Breeden (Lexington, Ky.) won the women’s 100m fly with a time of 59.22. Rachel Bootsma (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was second in 1:01.09 and Pelton was third in 1:01.13.

The final event of the evening, the 400m IM, was won by Julia Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) on the women’s side and Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.) on the men’s side. Smit won in 4:38.83 and was followed by Nicole Vernon, who was second in 4:49.05, and Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga.), who was third in 4:50.63. Clary had a dominant win on the men’s side with a time of 4:21.17. Jordan Hartney was second in 4:25.45 and Andrew Cosgarea (Baltimore, Md.) was third in 4:26.63.

The Austin Grand Prix continues Saturday with six events. Finals competition will include the 200m fly, 50m free, 100m back, 400m free, 200m breast and the 800m free relay. Prelims begin at 9:30 a.m. and finals start at 5:30 p.m. Race footage from the meet will be broadcast LIVE throughout the weekend on www.usaswimming.org/webcasts  and will also be featured LIVE on Universal Sports on Saturday. (USA SWIMMING)