U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS:

OMAHA, Neb. — Aaron Peirsol exacted a bit of revenge, though he did not intend to at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials Friday.

Peirsol, the former Newport Harbor High star, won the 200-meter backstroke, matching Ryan Lochte’s world record in 1 minute, 54.32 seconds. Lochte, who had upset Peirsol at the 2007 World Championships in Australia, finished second in 1:54.34.

The two swam stroke for storke throughout the race, but Peirsol lunged to the wall to win, the Associated Press reported.

Was this revenge for losing his title to Lochte at the the World Championships last year?

“No, I wanted to get my hand on the wall first,” Peirsol told the Los Angeles Times. “If I was seeking revenge, I probably would have beat him by a second.”

Peirsol will be competing in his third Olympics next month in Beijing, where he will be competing in the 100 and 200 back. The top two from the Olympic Trials qualify for the Olympics. Perisol, who captured gold in both events at the 2004 Olympics, won both events at the Olympic Trials.

Peirsol lowered his world record in the 100 back Tuesday, touching ahead of a strong field. He finished in 52.89 seconds. The previous record was 52.98 seconds.

Lochte broke Peirsol’s world record in the 200 back when he ended the former Sailor’s long winning streak in the 200 back in 2007. Peirsol will more than likely need to break the record to win in Beijing.

— From staff reports