Peirsol adds to golden count

Newport Harbor High product Aaron Peirsol added to his medal count on

the final day of the swimming world championships in Montreal with

his third gold Sunday.

Peirsol, 22, who had already taken first in the 100- and 200-meter

backstroke events earlier in the week, teamed with Brendan Hansen,

Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak on the United States’ men’s winning 400

medley relay team. The quartet finished in three minutes, 31.85

seconds, well ahead of the second-place Russians (3:35.08). Peirsol

clocked a 54.26 split on the leadoff leg.

The American quartet of Michael Phelps, Randall Bal, Mark Gangloff

and Neil Walker raced to the fastest qualifying time of 3:36.08

earlier Sunday.

Peirsol, who won three Olympic gold medals last year, including

the 100 and 200 back while contributing to the 400 medley relay team,

placed fifth in the final of the 50 back at the world championships

Sunday, finishing in 25.30. Greece’s Aristeidis Grigoriadis took gold

in 24.95.

Peirsol set a world record in the 200 back Friday 1:54.66 and

holds the world’s top split in the 400 medley relay -- a 53.45 set at

last year’s Olympics.

Peirsol won’t have much time to rest.

He is scheduled to compete for the United States against Australia

in Tuesday’s Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool at Irvine High.

The meet, featuring both men’s and women’s teams from both

nations, will be scored in dual-meet format, with a 5-3-2-1 sequence

for individual events while winning relay teams will receive seven

points.

The meet begins at 3 p.m. with the women’s 400 free relay.

The men’s 100 back is tentatively scheduled as the eighth event

while the men’s 200 back is slated as the 18th event.

The meet is expected to draw a capacity crowd (2,600), which would

make it one of Southern California’s greatest swimming attendance

draws outside of last year’s Olympic trials in Long Beach.

Hansen, world-record holder in the 100 and 200 back, and Phelps,

who won six gold medals at last summer’s Olympics, will compete on

the men’s side. The U.S. women’s team will include 16-year-old Katie

Hoff, winner of the 200- and 400-individual medley races at the world

championships.