Bennett makes 400 free final

The Valrico resident is the top qualifier by almost 2 seconds out of the semifinals.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 17, 2000

SYDNEY, Australia -- The swimmers were introduced and stepped up onto the blocks. The starter gave his warning, and the buzzer sounded. And Brooke Bennett remained planted in her seat.

When the 400-meter freestyle was held in the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta, Bennett was a fan in the bleachers. She had failed to qualify for the event at the Olympic trials and was days from winning gold in the 800 free.

So Bennett sat and watched. And plotted. And made a promise to herself.

"The 400, to her, is unfinished business," said Peter Banks, Bennett's coach at Brandon Blue Wave and the assistant coach on the U.S. women's team. "She felt she could have gotten in the top three."

The time to make good on that promise is now. Valrico's Bennett had the fastest qualifying time in the 400 free Saturday , 4 minutes, 7.57 seconds. She was 1.76 seconds faster than the second-fastest qualifier, Claudia Poll of Costa Rica.

The final was this morning.

In the four years since Atlanta, Bennett has grown from a skinny 16-year-old into a sturdy woman. She is physically stronger and mentally tougher.

She has the experience of winning the 800 in the '96 Olympics and the knowledge of what it takes to reach the wall ahead of the world's best. In short, Bennett says she is now ready to do what she could not do in Atlanta.

"I think, in a way, it was good for me that I didn't make it in the 400 in '96," Bennett said. "It allowed me to put all of my focus on the 800, which was later on in the meet. So it gave me time to get a feel for the whole Olympic experience before I had to swim.

"At 16, I think it was probably better for me to have that one event. But there was still a part of me that was very bummed, that would have liked to have been in there to see what I could do."

What Bennett is capable of doing now is unquestioned. She has remained the top 800 swimmer in the world and has gradually climbed the charts in the 400. She entered the Olympics as the No. 3 seed, though the top five was closely grouped. "As I grew and got older and stronger, we knew the 400 was a definite possibility for me to make the team and have two events at the Olympic Games instead of just one," Bennett said.

Banks said he has changed her training slightly to give her more speed work in the pool, though she still is a long-distance swimmer at heart.

That means she needs to go out faster than the other competitors because she does not have the sprint speed to outswim them at the end. But Banks said Bennett has a different kind of speed when she is challenged.

"Winning a race like that is what makes the good ones great. That's what separates them from the rest," Banks said. "She's a great competitor. She's already proven that. She has put the pressure on herself to get this done, and she truly believes she can."

Throughout the trials last month in Indianapolis, Bennett talked about her quest for the 400 while maintaining that the 800 was still special, still her "baby." So if the 800 is her baby, what is the 400?

"I haven't thought of what to call it," Bennett said. "I don't think I can call it anything until we find out if it's mine."

Get the late results

Valrico's Brooke Bennett was scheduled to compete in the final for the 400-meter freestyle just before 6 a.m. today. For results, check the Times Web site at http://www.sptimes.com/olympics.

On The Wire