Olympic Swimmers come to Austin again for Arena Grand Prix Series

Evan Berkowitz

For the second time in a two-month span, Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin will be swimming in Austin at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

This time, though, it’s the Austin leg of the six-meet Arena Grand Prix Series which starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Other Olympians competing include Tyler Clary, Amanda Weir, Conor Dwyer, Chloe Sutton, Mark Gangloff and Kate Ziegler along with Longhorn Aquatics swimmers Ricky Berens, Garrett Weber-Gale and Jimmy Feigen.

Preliminary heats start at 9 a.m. each day, while finals begin at 6 p.m. Austin-based band Casino will perform Saturday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to highlight the festivities.

The Arena Grand Prix Series gives the swimmers an opportunity to race against the best competition in the country to prepare for the 2013 Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis, World University Games in Russia and the FINA World Championships in Spain.