Jones, Hall come up short in 50-meter free
OMAHA - The men's 50-meter freestyle always is a quick-draw shootout, but nobody at last night's Olympic swimming trials expected both the Olympic champion and world runner-up to miss the team for Beijing.
Cullen Jones, who was second at last year's global meet, and Gary Hall Jr., the gold medalist in both Sydney and Athens, finished out of the money as Garrett Weber-Gale and world titlist Ben Wildman-Tobriner placed 1-2, with the victor setting an American record of 21.47 seconds.
"I knew if I had a good start I could make the team," said Weber-Gale, who also won the 100 free. "I didn't know I'd go that fast." Jones, who'd broken Hall's domestic mark with a 21.59 in the prelims, was third in the final, 16-hundredths of a second behind Wildman-Tobriner, while Hall was fourth in 21.91. Mansfield's Nick Brunelli tied for seventh in 22.13.
"These guys definitely earned it," saluted the 33-year-old Hall, who wore a cape proclaiming him "The Godfather of Swimming." Meanwhile Dara Torres, the sport's 41-year-old Godmother, posted the fastest time (24.38) in the women's 50 free semis, reclaiming the US mark that both Lara Jackson and Jessica Hardy had broken. "I'm very competitive," said Torres, who already qualified in the 100 free.
JOHN POWERS
