Thompson Advances to 1,500 Freestyle Final at Olympics
9/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Olympics
SYDNEY, Australia -- Swimming for the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics, University of Michigan senior Chris Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg HS) posted the sixth-fastest time in the preliminary heats of the men's 1,500-meter freestyle on Friday morning (Sept. 22) to qualify for the event's final.
Thompson's time of 15:11.21 was good for second place in Heat 5, and he ranked sixth among the 41 competitors in the event. Fellow American Erik Vendt won Heat 5 in 15:05.11.
Kieren Perkins of Australia was the top qualifier, finishing in 14:58.34 while winning Heat 4. Perkins, the 1,500 freestyle world record holder, is trying to become the first man to win three 1,500 free gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games.
The 1,500 freestyle final is scheduled for Saturday afternoon (Sept. 23) at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in what is the final day of the swimming competition.
1,500-Meter Freestyle Preliminary Heats
Top Eight Times (Qualifiers for Final)
1. Kieren Perkins, Australia 14:58.34 (Heat 4) 2. Erik Vendt, USA 15:05.11 (Heat 5) 3. Grant Hackett, Australia 15:07.50 (Heat 6) 4. Ryk Neethling, South Africa 15:09.12 (Heat 6) 5. Alexei Filipets Russian Federation 15:10.94 (Heat 4) 6. CHRIS THOMPSON, USA 15:11.21 (Heat 5) 7. Heiko Hell, Germany 15:11.91 (Heat 5) 8. Igor Chervynskiy, Ukraine 15:12.30 (Heat 4)
Notes
• Chris Thompson, a six-time NCAA All-American, has been the runner-up in the 1,500-meter or 1,650-yard freestyle in the last three NCAA Championships, and his main rivals -- Erik Vendt of Southern Cal and Ryk Neething of Arizona -- both join him in the 1,500 freestyle final at the 2000 Olympic Games. Thompson was second behind Neething in the 1,650-yard freestyle in both 1998 and 1999. At the 2000 meet, Thompson finished a spot ahead of Neething but again was the runner-up as Vendt captured first place in the 1,500-meter race.
Players Mentioned
