FanHouse KatieHoff

OK, so maybe it's time to squash any comparisons between Katie Hoff and Michale Phelps.

While Phelps is living up to every expectation at the Olympics, Katie Hoff is running out of time to win her first gold.

After swimming three of her six events, including her best event (the 400 IM), Hoff has a bronze and a silver. Things got worse on Tuesday night as she floundered at the end to drop to fourth in the 200 meter freestyle. Hoff still could snag a gold, but she is unlikely to be a favorite in any of her final three events (including the 4 X 200 meter freestyle relay).

It's hard to say that someone who is 2-for-3 on medals is having a horrible Olympics. And in the event that she didn't medal, all three medalists broke the existing world record, while Hoff set an American record. But Hoff was supposed to be the U.S. women's team's brightest star. Right now she's been eclipsed by Natalie Coughlin, who has a gold and a silver.

There have been rumblings that Hoff took on too much, and should have focused on fewer events. Michael Phelps hasn't seemed to be bothered by the heavy schedule, but then, he's half-Cyborg. But Hoff 's struggles began in her fist event, which is a little early to be fatigued. The reality seems to be that she has just been outswum by a very talented field.

If you have a favorite pair of jeans, you know, the ones that never let you down, that fit perfectly, that are just COMFORTABLE, then you know what I'm talking about. Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff are the old, faded, comfortable blue jeans of swimming. I suppose that at some point they're going to stop winning everything and I suppose that at some point they're both going to be like 60 years old and we'll be hearing about the next up-and-coming swimmers. But for now, Phelps and Hoff are about as reliable as swimmers can be in this unpredictable competition we call the Olympic Games.

Phelps downed his own Olympic record, set in his gold-medal race in the Athens game in 2004, by 1.44 seconds and is seeded first for tonight's finals. Fellow American and 2004 silver medalist Ryan Lochte, will be giving Phelps the race of his life tonight. Lochte seems to see himself as Phelps pusher, that by putting pressure on Phelps, Phelps will be more likely to swim faster. And although an upset is always possible, it has gone Phelps, then Lochte, for the last four years. Lochte and Phelps have now trained side-by-side for two Olympics and although they are good teammates and friends, nothing but the gold medal matters when the starting gun goes off. Hungarian Lazlo Czeh, the bronze medalist from the 2004 Games, will also swim in tonight's finals.

We're covering the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials all week.

Just like we saw four years ago, NBC's swimming coverage this August will be the Michael Phelps show once again--and with him winning his fifth and final event at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. it's obvious why. Phelps will head to Beijing with a legitimate shot at breaking Mark Spitz' record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics. With three relays, Phelps is entered in eight events.

But Saturday's Trials action also showed who else we'll be seeing wall-to-wall coverage of next month. If you haven't paid much attention to swimming since 2004, you might not have heard much about Katie Hoff, but if you watch next month's Olympic coverage, Hoff will become a household name.

We're covering the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials all week.

The Michael Phelps of the Olympic Trials has been Katie Hoff.

Hoff won two more events on Wednesday, setting American records in both. But what was most impressive is the events that Hoff won. Not many swimmers would attempt, much less win, a combo of the 200 meter freestyle and the 200 meter IM on the same day. The only thing standing between Hoff and being known as the top female swimmer in the world is to now do it in Beijing. Hoff will be joined by Natalie Coughlin in the 200 IM, and by Allison Schmitt in the 200 freestyle.

"She's a stud for doing the 200 free-200 IM double," Natalie Coughlin said. "That's an incredibly tough double, and I don't know of another female swimmer who could do it so successfully."

Hoff has already won four events and has qualified for one relay. She still has two more individual events to go, plus the likelihood that she'll qualify for another relay. If so, she, like Phelps would be gunning for eight gold medals in Beijing.

Speaking of Phelps, he won his third event of the trials, but he wasn't particularly thrilled with his 200 butterfly performance. He finished just .11 seconds off of his world record time, but he told NBC he didn't swim hard enough on the first 100 meters. He'll have a chance to swim more to his liking in Beijing. Gil Stovall of Georgia, on the other hand, was thrilled to make his first Olympic team; he finished second to Phelps in the 200 butterfly.

Understandably, Michael Phelps is the name most anyone thinks of if you ask them to name an American swimmer, and with her knack for marketing, some fans may also mention Amanda Beard. But by the time the Beijing games may be over start adding Katie Hoff's name to that list as well.

Hoff wrapped another spot in Beijing by blowing away the field over the final 200 meters of the 400 freestyle. She had already earned a spot on Sunday by setting a world record in the 400 meter individual medley. Hoff still has the chance to qualify in four more events. With the way she's going, it's hard to bet against her.

In the women's 100 meter butterfly Christine Mangnuson and Elaine Breeder earned spots in the Olympics, while Brendan Hansen and Mark Gangloff earned spots in the men's 100 meter breastroke as expected.

But the most interesting races of Monday night may have been the men's 100 meter backstroke. Randall Bal and Aaron Peirsol came out of the semifinals with the top two times, but Matt Grevers and Ryan Lochte were right on their heels. Heck, nearly anyone in tomorrow's final ranks as one of the top swimmers in the event in the world, but it's a safe bet that some extremely fast times will not be enough to earn spots in Beijing.

The 100 meter backstroke may be the most competitive event in Tuesday's action, but we'll also get a Michael Phelps-Lochte rematch, this time in the 200 meter freestyle.

Over the next few days we will be previewing the races that will take place at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

Women's 200 Meter Individual Medley

What to watch for: This event is like four drag races in one. Each leg of the race is a knock-down-drag-out battle and in order to put together a great race the swimmer needs to have a burst of speed for each stroke. There is no room for weakness here. On the other hand, put too much effort into any one leg without thinking of the others and expect to see a swimmer run out of gas towards the end. This is one of the most exciting races of the trials to watch.

What it takes: Natalie Coughlin has another first seed here, but she's followed closely by Katie Hoff. Hoff has more experience in this event and is better known for her ability to swim a variety of strokes. But then again Coughlin has the experience and maturity in her favor. In the end it's going to be a head-to-head battle between these two.

Unlikely underdogs: Watch for Julia Smit, who is currently seeded eighth. The Stanford swimmer has made a break onto the international scene recently, including a gold medal in this event at the 2007 Pan Pacific Championships and may surprise us.

My prediction: Coughlin and Hoff will team up to give us a show in Beijing of precision and pure speed.

Over the next few days we will be previewing the races that will take place at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

Women's 400 Meter Freestyle

What to watch for: Athletes who strategically attack the middle 200 meters and hang on to the end will have a better chance at an Olympic berth than athletes who come out of the start too fast, or save up for the end. Watch for a long, smooth stroke as opposed to a lot of splash.

What it takes: Katie Hoff, who has already set one world record this Olympic Trials, is again a top contender for this event. Two seconds separate Hoff from second seed Kate Ziegler and five seconds separate Ziegler from the third seed. This being the case, in order to knock off either Hoff or Ziegler, any other swimmer is going to have to have the meet of her life.

Unlikely underdogs: Look for Kaitlin Sandeno in this event. Although Sandeno has yet to make an Olympic berth this year, she has enough experience and talent to pull of an upset.

My prediction: Hoff and Ziegler are just too far ahead of the rest of the field to not snag two spots to the Olympics in August. Hoff might even smash another world record while she's at it.