Defeat drives Peirsol to shape up for Beijing

By Julian Linden

SYDNEY (Reuters) - One defeat in seven years provided American backstroker Aaron Peirsol with all the motivation he needed to get in the best shape of his life for the Beijing Olympics.

The Californian, who turns 25 on July 23, has dominated men's backstroke since taking over from compatriot Lenny Krayzelburg, who won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics.

A serial world record-breaker, Peirsol won three golds in Athens and also has a stack of world titles to his credit, but it was a rare loss last year that drove him to greater heights.

Peirsol won a silver in the 200 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and had not lost another major race until the 2007 world championships.

"You can get kind of comfortable where I was," he said this month. "I'm beginning to learn that's not always the best place to be."

He broke the world record in the 100 backstroke at the U.S. trials in July and is set for another tilt at three golds in Beijing next month.

Peirsol won his first major international title in the 200 at the world championships in Japan in 2001 then broke Krayzelburg's 200 world record at the U.S. nationals in 2002.

Peirsol won the backstroke double at the 2003 world championships in Barcelona before lowering his own 200 record at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials.

He broke Krayzelburg's 100 world record as the lead-off swimmer in the successful medley relay at Athens and also won the backstroke double to finish with three gold medals but only after he was embroiled in controversy.

He sparked a row with Japanese breaststroker Kosuke Kitajima when he accused him of using an illegal dolphin kick after he beat Peirsol's team mate Brendan Hansen in the 100 breaststroke final.

A few days later, Peirsol was in even hotter water when he was disqualified after winning the 200 backstroke final when one of the judges reported him for an illegal turn.

Peirsol was reinstated as the winner after the U.S. lodged a protest despite complaints from rival teams that he was cleared on a technicality.

The judge stood by his decision that Peirsol had made an illegal turn but the sport's world governing body FINA ruled the judge had botched his paperwork by entering the wrong code on the disqualification form.

Peirsol broke his own 100 world record at the U.S. trials in Indianapolis the following year then won the backstroke double at the 2005 world championships in Montreal, with another record in the 200.

He broke the 200 record again at the 2006 Pan Pacific championships then the 100 at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne, but lost his 200 world record to Ryan Lochte with his first major defeat since the 2000 Olympics.