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Monday, August 14, 2000

By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Dawson Jones, left, passes Jamie Mitchell near the Sans Souci
Beach finish line of yesterday's Duke Kahanamoku World
Paddleboard Championships. Jones edged Mitchell by
10 seconds in the nine-mile race from Maunalua Bay to
Waikiki. Results in Scoreboard.

Isle swimmers
fall short in races

Despite setbacks, Keiko Price
and Sabir Muhammad can still
make U.S. Olympic teams

---

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Two Hawaii residents missed out on making history yesterday at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis.

Former UCLA All-American Keiko Price, a Mililani resident, made it through her preliminary heat in the 100-meter freestyle but didn't make it through last night's semifinals.

If Price had made it to the 100-meter freestyle finals, she would have kept alive her chances of becoming the first black woman to make the U.S. Olympic swim team.

Price will have another chance in the 50-meter freestyle trials tomorrow. But that event includes some highly talented individuals, including Dara Torres, Amy Van Dyken and Jenny Thompson. Only two will qualify for the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.

The 100-meter freestyle event had six open spots because there is also a relay involved.

"I'll have to try to do a PR (personal record) and have fun," Price said.

Her 50-meter freestyle best is 25.9 seconds, and Price believes it will take an under 25.0 race to get one of the two berths.

Sabir Muhammad
HONOLULU RESIDENT
Still has a chance to make the
U.S. team in the 50-meter freestyle.

No swimmer raised and educated in Hawaii has earned an Olympic swim team berth since Chris Woo in 1976.

Meanwhile, former Stanford All-American Sabir Muhammad, who has been living in Honolulu and training with University of Hawaii head coach Sam Freas since last year, finished last in the eight-man 100-meter freestyle final last night.

But he has another chance to become the first black man to make the U.S. Olympic swim team in the 50-meter freestyle trials today.

"I swam relaxed," said Price, referring to her semifinal race in the 100-meter freestyle.

She drew lane one and wore a Speedo neck-to-ankle bodysuit, but it didn't help.

"The bodysuit felt good," Price said, "but it obviously didn't make much of a difference for me. You don't have to kick as much and you rotate a little quicker."

Although Muhammad is widely considered the man who could become the first of his race to make the team, there is another swimmer claiming that distinction.

Anthony Ervin of Valencia, Calif., who earned a spot on the 400-meter freestyle relay after finishing fifth in the 100, said his father is 75 percent black and mother is white.

University of Hawaii swimmers failing to advance from their heats were Jeff Stanford in the 100 meters, and Melanie Zauder and Morgan Hoesterey in the 100-meter breaststroke.

UH swimmers in the women's 50-meter freestyle heats tomorrow will be Lori Thomas and Sarah Watchorn.

Stanford will compete in today's men's 50-meter freestyle.