FLYING DOWN UNDER BRUIN AT WORLDS FOR 200 BUTTERFLY.

Byline: ERIK BOAL

Special to the Daily News

Kim Vandenberg used to listen to former UCLA teammate and Swedish national team member Malin Svahnstrom tell great stories about swimming in Australia.

Vandenberg's only connection with competing down under was watching it on TV or reading about it online.

All that changed Tuesday for the reigning U.S. 200-meter butterfly national champion, who made her debut in Australia at the 12th FINA World Championships in Melbourne.

"I'm so thankful to be here and to have this opportunity," said the 23- year-old Vandenberg, one of 12 World Championship rookies on the U.S. national team.

"Swimming in Melbourne is one of the biggest honors you could have."

Vandenberg watched Svahnstrom, a 12-time All-American and two-time Olympian, finish 20th Sunday in the preliminaries of the 200 individual medley.

The Bruins assistant coach hopes her performance in the 200 butterfly semifinals -- at 1:50a.m. (PDT) today -- is good enough to secure a spot in Thursday's championship heat. Vandenberg, a 16-time All-American, clocked the third-fastest prelim time of 2minutes, 8.63 seconds.

"It's the biggest stage, second only behind the Olympics in the swimming world," said Vandenberg, whose previous international experience includes competing at the World University Games in Turkey in 2005 and the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, in August.

Vandenberg's ascent to become one of the world's elite butterfly swimmers might seem like an overnight success story -- she went from 2006 NCAA runner-up to summer national champion in August to medal hopeful after clocking a lifetime-best 2:08.22 at a Grand Prix meet in Missouri five weeks ago.

But the Campolindo High of Moraga graduate, who will graduate this spring, has dedicated several years in the pool to reach this level.

"Kim's dedication to reach her potential in swimming is inspirational," UCLA coach Cyndi Gallagher said on the school's Web site.

"She has been focused on swimming fast at the World Championships since she got beat by the world record- holder, Australian Jessicah Schipper."

Vandenberg, whose mark in Missouri ranks 20th on the event's all-time list, will have to contend with Schipper and former worldrecord-holder Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland.

She will look to continue to move up the list of America's top 200 butterfly performers. She enters the semifinals trailing only Olympians Misty Hyman, Mary T. Meagher and Kaitlin Sandeno.

"I was already excited for Worlds, but doing as well as I did (in Missouri) has me even more anxious," Vandenberg said. "I feel good about my chances."

Although her goal is to medal Thursday, regardless of the results, Vandenberg will be able to share her own tales of Australian competition with UCLA swimmers.

"It was one of the ultimate dreams in my head to compete at Worlds," Vandenberg said. "It's really satisfying having everything working out the way it has. Now I'm starting to set my expectations higher."

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