Speedy Clary always a threat

IRVINE, Calif. -- Last night, on the medal stand of the 4x100 free relay, as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte thought about today's heats for the 200 IM (which Phelps pulled out of this morning, citing fatigue), they agreed on one thing -- neither wanted to be in the same heat as Tyler Clary.

So, who's Tyler Clary?

A 21-year-old from Riverside, Calif. who is a student at the University of Michigan, Clary is making a name for himself here at Pan-Pacs after finishing second in both the 400 IM and 200 back (behind Lochte both times). He was 7th in the 200 fly, a swim he feels was not indicative of his capabilities, and it was his preliminary swim that kept Phelps from qualifying for the 400 IM.

Clary just missed qualifying for the Beijing Games -- he was 3rd in the 200 back and 4th in the 400 IM at the 2008 Olympic Trials.

The simpler answer to the above question might be: he's a racer.

When asked what kind of time he thinks he will need in tonight's 200 IM, he said he focuses less on "time" for the finals and just worries about going out there and racing. He says he's always been a racer at heart, and traced it back to a story his grandmother tells.

"When I was a kid (before age five), I was in the car seat with my grandmother driving, and a car had passed us," Clary said. "I started rocking back and forth in my car seat, like, you've got to pass him. She passed him and I had a big smile on my face."

Asked if that's how he drives, Clary's first response was "You're not a cop, are you?", followed by, "Yeah, I drive a little fast."

He might be a speedster both on land and in the pool, but, in terms of being a threat to the world's elite, he's not going anywhere.

"Tyler, it's like he's never going away," Lochte said. "He has definitely stepped it up, which is good for the sport. I hope he keeps it up. You know when you race him it's going to be a dog fight."

That's exactly what tonight's 200 IM could be, with Lochte (1:58.03) and Clary (1:58.56) posting the two fastest times in preliminaries this morning.