US lengths ahead in pool

Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Jessica Hardy led the way for their nation, winning multiple golds as they comfortably outclassed their traditional rivals Australia, who won just six golds.

While the Australians can expect to shine at the Commonwealth Games in India this October, they underperformed at the Pan Pacs and clearly have much to do if they are to challenge the US at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

Lochte bagged six gold medals at the William Woolett Jr. Aquatics Center and narrowly failed to improve his own world record in the men's 200 metres individual medley.

Multiple Olympic medallist Phelps came away with five golds, despite being well short of his usual high level of conditioning, while Hardy finished with four golds.

"We have a good picture of where the team is right now and it's pretty good," US assistant coach Bob Bowman, who primarily works with Phelps, told reporters. "We know we need to improve for next year, and we certainly need to improve for London (the 2012 Olympic Games). But this gives us a good a start."

Bowman was happy with the progress achieved by Phelps, who came into the Pan Pacs saying he was "probably between a four and five out of 10" with regard to his fitness.

"I have a clear picture of where he's at and what we need to do to be ready for the world championships," Bowman said of the swimmer widely regarded as the best of all time.

"It's pretty close to what I thought, so it makes me feel like I have a handle on it."

Phelps failed to qualify for the 400m individual medley final after competing in the event for the first time since the 2008 Olympics, but Bowman was unconcerned.

"He will be back in no time," Bowman said before referring to the burgeoning rivalry between Lochte and Phelps. "I can't wait to see those guys do the 200m (medley)."

World record holder Lochte beat Phelps in the 200m medley at this month's US nationals but never got the chance for a Pan Pac repeat when Phelps withdrew to conserve energy for the 4x100m medley relay.

Despite not being pushed by his compatriot, Lochte was on world record pace for the first two legs of Saturday's race before finishing in one minute 54.43 seconds, the third fastest time ever.

"Everyone was saying it would be a long time before a world record was broken again," said Lochte of his bid to become the first swimmer to do so since the polyurethane "body suits" were banned at the start of this year.

"I wanted to show that it's going to happen sooner than they think. Now we'll see what happens next year at the worlds."

While the US team flourished at the Pan Pacs with Dana Vollmer also earning four gold medals and Rebecca Soni picking up three, their traditional rivals Australia did not live up to expectations.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice pulled out of the meet and the Commonwealth Games to have shoulder surgery and Eamon Sullivan, Brenton Rickard and Andrew Lauterstein all struggled in some of their main events.

Emily Seebohm, who swam the fastest women's 200m medley of the year so far, was Australia's outstanding performer but her team's head coach could only applaud the US dominance.

"Australia has a long way to go compared with the Americans," Leigh Nugent said after his team collected an overall tally of 32 medals. The US piled up 56.

"I would think if they (the US) were to race the rest of the world right now, they would dominate the whole world."

Nugent felt Australia had surrendered second place in swimming's global pecking order to France.

"We're not number two and I'm not sure (we will be) by the end of the Commonwealth Games," he said. "But we had to come and race here, as ready as we could be, and keep the Commonwealth Games in mind."