EVANS PLANS TO BE A FAN GOLD MEDALIST TO WATCH THORPE, OTHERS AT MEET.Byline: Frank Burlison Staff Writer Competing used to come natural to Janet Evans Janet Elizabeth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is a record-breaking American competitive swimmer. Born in Placentia, California, Evans started competitive swimming as a child. By the age of 11 she was setting National Age Group records in the longer events. , so forgive her if she seems out of place at the swim meet that bears her name. Because at the 11th Janet Evans Invitational Swim Meet, she plans to be in the crowd as a spectator and enjoy the action during the four-day event. ``I'm just going to sit down, watch and be a fan,'' Evans said, offering up a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize smile two days before competition was to begin at 5 p.m. today at the Charter All-Digital Aquatic Centre with timed finals in the 800-meter freestyle. More than 1,000 swimmers from 20 countries, some of which will be mining gold in Athens, Greece, in a couple of months, are expected to participate in what is deemed the most tantalizing tan·ta·lize tr.v. tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing, tan·ta·liz·es To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. pre-2004 Olympics meet of the year. Preliminaries begin at 9 a.m. Friday, and at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with finals beginning at 5 p.m. each evening. The meet also is serving as a tuneup of sorts for the 800 or so Americans involved, because the U.S. Olympic Trials will be held July 7-14 in the same shoreline facility, built in the parking lot of the Long Beach Arena. Ian Thorpe Ian James Thorpe OAM (born 13 October 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales), also known as the Thorpedo or Thorpey, is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. , the 21-year-old Australian who snagged three golds and two silvers in the Sydney Olympics four years ago, is the headliner this weekend. His first competition is expected to begin at about 9:10 a.m. Friday in the 100-meter freestyle. He's also entered in the 200 and 400 events. The 32-year-old Evans won three gold medals in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a gold and silver in Barcelona, Spain, four years later. And she still holds world marks in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles despite retiring after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. There isn't much chance her attention will be diverted when Thorpe is in the pool. ``I love watching Ian swim,'' she said. ``He's to swimming as Michael Jordan This article is about the former basketball player. For other uses, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. and Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. are to basketball - he was born to swim. ``If someone asks me 'What makes a good swimmer?' I'd say, watch Ian and you'll know what makes a good swimmer.'' Evans answered questions during a news conference Tuesday with Thorpe and several other members of the Australian team that will compete in Long Beach and in Athens. ``I think it's pretty awesome,'' Thorpe said of the opportunity to swim in the event that carries the name of the woman who is set to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame on July 1. ``I think in Australia, we appreciate Janet Evans (more than American sports fans do). As a kid growing up, it was amazing to see such a standard that no one got close to and still hasn't gotten close to.'' Thorpe's praise seemed to flatter Evans. ``Sitting next to Ian was awesome, and to hear him say that ... I wanted to say 'thank you' because he is the one who is amazing,'' she said. But she also gushes about some of the other athletes on hand this weekend, rattling off names such as Americans Natalie Coughlin Natalie Anne Coughlin (born August 23, 1982 in Vallejo, California) is a United States swimmer and represented the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won two gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze. (100 freestyle, and 100 and 200 backstrokes), Erik Vendt Erik Vendt (born January 9, 1981 in North Easton, Massachusetts) is a swimmer from the United States who won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics. (400 individual medley and 800 freestyle) and Misty Hyman Misty Dawn Marie Hyman (born March 23, 1979 in Mesa, Arizona) is an American swimmer who won the gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Hyman was only supposed to contend for silver on that night (September 20, 2000), as Australian Susie O'Neill was (200 butterfly), among others. JANET EVANS INVITATIONAL Where: Charter All-Digital Aquatic Centre. Prelims: 9 a.m. Friday; 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sunday. Finals: 5 p.m. Today-Sunday. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe works out Wednesday with a snorkel snorkel, tube through which a submarine or diver can draw air while underwater. When in use, the top of the snorkel tube extends above the water surface into the air. in preparation for the Janet Evans Invitational. Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer Box: JANET EVANS INVITATIONAL (see text) |
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