Tyler Clary: Recognition at the pool

Just like all of the other athletes, Tyler Clary left the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Championships in Indianapolis by walking through the room that holds the IUPUI Natatorium's competition pool.

An ensuing short walk down a hallway led to a large staircase. As athletes made the walk up the staircase, 50 people would be waiting most nights, fans young and old, all looking to get an autograph or picture taken with past and future Olympians.

Some swimmers could sneak through without being noticed, but others were quickly stopped. Clary, who just finished his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, now falls into the latter category.

Qualifying for two individual events at this week's FINA World Championships in Rome will gain that recognition from fans.

"It's kind of cool coming out at the entrance to the pool and having some people stop me and ask me for some autographs," Clary said. "I've never had that happen before."

Clary qualified for the world championships by finishing second in the 200-meter fly and 400-meter IM.  The 200 fly finals are Wednesday and the finals for the 400 IM are Sunday.

At nationals, Clary also had third-place finishes in the 200 IM and the 200 backstroke. In the 200 back, he finished behind 2008 Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte and Aaron Peirsol, the 2004 Olympic champion and the current record holder.

Make no mistake, Clary had an impressive resume prior to the national championships. He's a member of the famed University of Michigan swim program, which hadsties to four swimmers, three coaches, and Michael Phelps-who was a volunteer assistant coach-at the 2008 Olympics.

Now Clary is making his own name at the school, winning the 200 back and the 400 IM at the 2009 NCAA Championships.

Peirsol, a three-time Olympian, was asked which young swimmers stood out to him during the national championships. The first name Peirsol mentioned was "Tyler Clary."

"I was expecting Tyler Clary to do well and he did really well," Peirsol said.

Clary wasted little time making his presence known at the national championships, challenging Michael Phelps in the 200 fly on the second night of the competition. He was dead even with Phelps after the first 150 meters before finishing second in 1:53.64. Phelps won in 1:52.76.

"Obviously being that close to the greatest swimmer in history is absolutely awesome," Clary said. "A lot of thoughts were going through my head at that point, with the biggest one being to get my hands on that wall."

Clary's performance caught the attention of Phelps.

"As soon as I turned at the 150 and saw Tyler right there, I decided to kick more under water and try to pull away a little bit," Phelps said. "It's good to have tight races like that. It makes it more exciting."

Clary's second-place finish was enough to qualify him for the U.S. World Championships team. With that achievement came a team introduction on the final day of the national championships, as each member was paraded in front of the crowd.

"Having an introduction like that in front of a big crowd is absolutely amazing," Clary said.  "I've never really experienced anything like that and I'm just ecstatic to be on a team like this.

"It takes something pretty spectacular to make a team like this. Team U.S. is not something to be taking lightly."

Making the world team was a big accomplishment. Now he hopes to keep the momentum rolling.

"I just want to build on all of my swims and going off my times (at the national championships) is really my goal,'' Clary said.

In the 400 IM, improving his breaststroke is vital.

"It's the weakest point for me," Clary said. "I obviously need to put some work into that."

Achieving his goals is the only option for Clary, who has been described as having a "psychotic hatred" for losing.

"Some of my teammates make fun of me because in anything that can be competitive, I can get kind of intense," Clary said.

For now, he's having a taste of success, and he's enjoying it.

"Basically I'm just here to have fun, because competing with the top athletes in the world is the most fun I could have," Clary said.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Brian Peloza is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.