Cullen Jones; 9 Months and 22.24 Seconds Later, Roster Spot Is Won

9 Months and 22.24 Seconds Later, Roster Spot Is Won

by Viv Bernstein | New York Times

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After nine months of training and more than a little tension between teammates and friends, the final spot on the United States swim team came down to a 50-meter freestyle sprint Thursday at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. When it was over, Cullen Jones barely held off Josh Schneider to earn the berth for the world championships in July in Shanghai.

Jones beat Schneider by four-hundredths of a second, winning in 22.24 seconds.

“I know a lot of people built it up like two boxers, and I think we definitely went at it like that,” said Jones, 27, a gold medalist in Beijing in 2008. “But at the same time, we’re friends. We definitely train well together.