U.S. loses 400-free relay

Germany, World All-Stars win team swim events

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Posted: Thursday July 30, 1998 01:47 AM

Michael Kiedel (left) of Germany celebrates after anchoring the 4 X 100 meter freestyle relay to victory over the United States

UNIONDALE, New York (AP) -- The diagnosis, according to Ron Karnaugh, M.D.: We just don't work hard enough anymore.

Karnaugh, a medical doctor and a swimmer on national teams since 1986, said that's why a rare U.S. loss in the 400-meter freestyle relay gave the Americans a dual-meet loss against Germany at the Goodwill Games Wednesday.

"There's no shortcut to success in swimming, and some of our younger kids don't work as hard as they should," said Karnaugh, 32, who won the 200 individual medley just before the freestyle-relay defeat that allowed Germany to win 63-59.

"They believe they can get by just on talent," Karnaugh added. "But you get out of it what you put in it."

The United States led by three points going into the final race. But the relays are worth seven points for the winner and none for the loser, and the Germans' time of 3 minutes, 21.48 seconds - 1.25 ahead of the Americans - decided the outcome. U.S. men have never lost an Olympic 400 freestyle relay.

"We've always had great freestyle sprinters, but now it's a new generation, and we lost Gary Hall Jr. to drug circumstances," Karnaugh said, referring to Hall's suspension for marijuana use.

Aimo Heilmann had a body-length lead over Josh Davis, a triple gold medalist in the 1996 Olympics, after the first leg, and the other three U.S. swimmers couldn't catch up.

Davis, of Austin, Texas, also finished last in the 100 freestyle and second in the 200.

The Americans led most of the meet thanks to breaststroke specialist Kurt Grote.

Grote, of Palo Alto, Calif., won both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and the breaststroke leg on the winning U.S. medley relay.

"I was hoping it wouldn't be this close up until the [freestyle] relay," Grote said. "I have confidence in our relay team, but it would have been better to have had a bigger lead going into it."

Even Grote's desperately needed 17 points were not enough as the Germans kept it close all night.

Lenny Krayzelburg of Los Angeles got the U.S. team off to a good start in the medley relay with a games record on the backstroke leg, but the world champion was upset in the individual 100 backstroke as Stev Theloke of lowered Krayzelburg's record set only a few minutes before.

Then Grote set a games record in the 100 breaststroke and captured the 200 by more than three seconds.

The race that turned the meet was the 200. Davis won an Olympic gold medal in the event, but this time he lost by .23 seconds to Michael Kiedel, who also swam anchor on the Germans' winning freestyle relay.

The victory in the 200 individual medley by Karnaugh, from Maplewood, New Jersey, was a meet highlight. score come down to the last relay," Karnaugh said. "I'm happy with my race and my time. Unfortunately, we couldn't win the relay."

In the other men's dual meet, the World All-Stars defeated Russia 66-56 behind games records in the 100- and 200-meter butterly by Denis Sylantiyev of Ukraine. Pieter van den HoogenbandKarnaugh set a games record of 2:02.18.

"I needed to win my race to make the final of the Netherlands set a U.S. open record of 1:47.34 in the 200 freestyle for the world team.

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