SHANGHAI – Ryan Lochte easily advanced with the fastest time in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley at the world championships, putting the American in position to win his fifth gold medal Sunday.
Lochte led all the way in his heat and touched in 4 minutes, 11.89 seconds — 1.79 seconds ahead of Yuya Horihata of Japan, who finished in 4:13.68.
“It hurt — 400 IM is never an easy event,” said Lochte, who had Saturday off. “It’s one of the hardest events out there. I wanted to be in the middle of the pool somewhere and that’s what I did.”
He’s been the dominant swimmer of the eight-day meet, winning three individual events — including twice beating Michael Phelps — and breaking the only world record heading into the final night.
Phelps, the 2007 world champion in the 400 IM, didn’t swim the event here. He had the morning off and was to return at night for the 4×100 medley relay final.
The U.S. team of David Plummer, Eric Shanteau, Tyler McGill and Garrett Weber-Gale led the relay heats at 3:32.42. The Americans won the title two years ago after failing to make the final in 2007, when Ian Crocker took off early and they were disqualified in the heats.
“It’s safe but fast starts, and I think we did that,” Shanteau said.
Germany was second at 3:33.69, followed by Netherlands at 3:34.59.
Lochte, who earned medals on the other two relays, wasn’t sure if he would be joining Phelps for the last one.
“If anything I would be on backstroke, but I didn’t swim it individually,” he said. “The coaches are going to put the best guys they feel on the team, so whatever they choose, they choose.”
American Tyler Clary qualified fourth at 4:14.98 for the evening final. He finished third in the 200 back, a race won by Lochte.
“He’s the type of guy that really benefits from having someone there to push him and I think I’m that guy,” Clary said. “Hopefully we’ll put on a good show and whoever wins, wins.”
Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh, the 2005 champion and bronze medalist two years ago in Rome, finished 22nd and failed to make the eight-man final.
“I was watching his swim this morning and I was really, really surprised,” Clary said. “Hopefully, he’s not too sick or something like that.”
Cseh, who finished third behind Lochte and Phelps in the 200 IM three days ago, hurried past reporters saying he needed to get medicine.
There were surprises in the women’s 400 IM heats, too.
Defending champion Katinka Hosszu of Hungary finished 15th, while Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, the silver medalist in 2009, was 14th — both well out of making the eight-woman final.
American Elizabeth Beisel had the leading time at 4:34.95. Emerging Spanish talent Mireia Belmonte Garcia was second at 4:36.36.
Beisel’s teammate, Caitlin Leverenz, was third at 4:36.78. Olympic champion Stephanie Rice of Australia, bronze medalist in the last two world meets, advanced in fifth.
China got both of its swimmers, Li Xuanxu and Ye Shiwen, into the final, with the crowd saving its loudest cheers for them.
