Evans Sets Record for 400 & 800 in Fullerton

Janet Evans hasn’t lost her touch for breaking world records, setting new Master’s marks in the 35-39 age group 15 years after her last competitive race.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist swam the 400-meter freestyle in 4 minutes, 23.82 seconds Saturday at the Janet Evans Invitational in Fullerton and four hours later she shattered the 800-freestyle record with a time of 8:59.06.

“I think it really shows me where my training is and it’s right about where I thought it was,” Evans said.

The 39-year old mother of two returned to the pool in October in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. The 400 Saturday was her first competitive race since the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she failed to qualify for the 400 freestyle and finished sixth in the 800 freestyle.

“It was really good. I wanted to go 4:30 so I was really happy,” she said after the 400.

Evans has been training under longtime coach Mark Schubert.

“I thought well, we’ll do it for three months and we’ll see how it’s going,” Schubert said. “She just always said, ‘Just be honest with me, if you don’t think I can do this tell me and I’ll stop.’

“Her practices just got better and better. She was surprising me all the time in practice and surprising herself.”

Evans tore through the water Saturday with the same voracious strokes that made her famous more than 20 years ago. She was 17 when she set the world record in the 400 freestyle in winning one of three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Games, and later set world marks in the 800 and 1,500 freestyle.

“I was pleased with my time,” said Evans, who swam solo in the 800. “I know there’s some things I need to work on and I know exactly what they are, so I think it’s good.”

Despite a case of the jitters, Schubert jokingly warned her not to false start, Evans also beat training partner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brian Goodell, who finished in 4:44.24.

“She hasn’t lost anything, I think with her age and everything she’s done and the time she’s taken off, it’s amazing that she’s still just as spry,” he said.

For Evans, the most difficult part of her comeback has been ignoring the naysayers.

“Physically, I feel great,” she said. “I just feel like I have it in me. I think I’m better focused.”

Janet Evans, the Olympic champion, who swims for the Fullerton Aquatic Swim Team (FAST) and competed with that team as a young girl, said she has been training hard for the last six months with an eye on qualifying for next year's Olympic trials and, if all goes according to plan, earning a spot on the U.S. team for the London Games.

"I have to believe it's realistic," Evans told the Associated Press before the meet. "I probably couldn't get through the workouts if I didn't. I'm sure there are going to be naysayers out there. That's OK. I certainly know how I feel when I'm in the water. I know what I'm capable of. You can never count me out."

She picked an appropriate venue for her first competition since 1996: the Janet Evans Invitational, a Masters meet held at the Janet Evans Swim Complex at Independence Park in Fullerton. Evans swam in four events, including the two that made her famous: the 400- and 800-meter freestyles (the 200 free and 200 back were also on the agenda, but more for training purposes).

"These are my first races in a long time," Evans said. "There's not a lot of expectations. I'm just kind of getting back in there and seeing if I remember how to do a start and all that kind of stuff."

Comebacks are nothing new, especially in swimming. Ian Thorpe returned to the water hoping to qualify for London. Dara Torres shook off a couple of retirements, winning three silver medals in Beijing at age 41. But Evans is a little different. No one has ever tried to get back to the top after such a long layoff.

She's ready for the challenge.

"You can't really take away my competitive spirit," she said. "If I do this, I want to do it well. Over the last few months, I've seen I can manage my life and my schedule while doing this. It has fulfilled my expectations on every level. I feel like I can be back in the game."

The Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and Allen Bacon, Daily Bosco contributed to this story. Photo from the LA Times