U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : NOTEBOOK
Falls short: Ali Ladeda, a 16-year-old from Monarch Beach who hoped to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 200-meter butterfly at the Olympic Festival, came up a disappointing seven seconds short Sunday.
Ladeda, who had made tremendous strides after only eight months of serious training with the Mission Viejo Nadadores, needed a 2:16.89 to qualify for the Trials, but finished last in the event with a 2.24:01.
“I don’t know what happened,†Ladeda said. “I just know it hurt. I felt like I got a really bad start and it hurt the whole way. Usually, you feel good for at least the first 100, but the whole time, I hurt.â€
Ladeda said she was still confident she could go 2:16 and tried to dismiss the slow showing as nothing more than an off night.
“I’ve still got time to make my qualifying time,†she said. “I guess this happens to everybody, but it sure is a bummer it happened here.â€
Go beyond the scoreboard
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