Krayzelburg, Peirsol, Carvin to Headline Meet

Lenny Krayzelburg and Aaron Peirsol--two of the top backstrokers in the world--and world record-holder Chad Carvin are entered in the Speedo Grand Challenge today and Saturday at the Heritage Park Aquatic Complex in Irvine.

Preliminaries begin at 9 a.m. and the finals are at 5 p.m. each day.

Krayzelburg, who attended USC, holds world records in the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes. Peirsol, a sophomore at Newport Harbor High, swam the third-fastest time ever in the 200 backstroke in March.

The two are expected to meet in today’s 200 backstroke final.

Carvin, who attended Laguna Hills High and Arizona, is one of the top freestyle swimmers in the world. He was part of the 800 freestyle team that set the world record at the World Short Course Championships in March.

USC freshman Erik Vendt, who broke Carvin’s national record in the 400 freestyle, is expected to face Carvin.

Among other top swimmers entered are Jenny Thompson, a five-time Olympic gold medalist; Brad Bridgewater, gold medalist in the 200 backstroke in the ’96 Olympics, and three-time Olympian Dara Torres.