Stars were stars this weekend during the Austin Grand Prix at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. But no star had as big a weekend as Missy Franklin, who claimed four first-place finishes.
On Friday, Franklin got off on the right foot, winning the 100-meter free. But the night ultimately belonged to Nathan Adrian, who not only won the men’s 100-meter free, but also broke the pool record — which had been held since 1988 by Matt Biondi — by a tenth of a second.
On Saturday, Franklin owned the show, winning the 200-meter free and 200-meter backstroke. The 200-meter backstroke ended her night in a similar fashion to Adrian’s — with a pool record. Texas ex Ricky Berens also won an event, while Adrian won the splash-and-dash (nickname for the 50-meter free).
To round out the festivities Sunday, Ryan Lochte finally took gold. He swam away from his competition in his main event, the 200-meter medley. Franklin also capped off her grand prix, winning at least one event every day.
Texas-ex Karlee Bispo won twice, both times edging out Franklin in some of the tightest races of the evening. Current Longhorn Michael McBroom took first in the 1500-meter free, just like he did at Winter Nationals in November.
The next stop for the 2012-2013 Arena Grand Prix is Feb. 14-16 in Orlando, Fla.