Having broken the world record over 100m backstroke at Melbourne and then slip a touch to second and suffer the loss of his world record to US teammate Ryan Lochte over 200m, Aaron Peirsol might have taken the view that two laps is a safer option than four in the future.

Bad new for rivals: no chance. As he emerged from the smoothest 1:57.62 morning heats swim you can imagine at the Paris Open, Peirsol, who turned 24 on July 23, was asked whether the quickest 100 ever would at some stage translate to the fastest 200 ever.

"Hopefully it does," said the Olympic champion. "With speed and endurance, you look to find a good balance between the two. I've been training well enough to know that the 200 is up there [above] the 100. My 200 is still the main focus. I think I can have a good 100 too but the 200 is the one."

The one he won the silver over in Sydney 2000 at 17, the one he claimed for himself in Athens 2004, the one he had not been beaten over until Lochte's breakout in Melbourne.

Had loss provided motivation? "Yes. At first it's kind of hard. It was a shock. I didn't have a great race and he had a great race. I had to take that. About a month later, I knew i could use that, I figured out how to use it and this summer has seen some good training and that will hopefully pay off."

"I would love to get the world record back. I know that I can go alot lot faster over 200m. I've worked really hard since Melbourne ... so why shouldn't it be possible." The question was rhetorical.

He had had his eye on events in the US. "Yes, I was watching what those guys were doing. It was a pretty good heat all round for the US in general, but Mike, definitely ... well, that's what you would expect. I was pretty impressed with the way second, third and fourth went too."

Why Paris then? "It's just something different. This is a summer where there's no real big meet ... we already had the world championships. The US nationals is a big meet but I think I've earned a chance to try something else. US nationals is a great meet area but this is a different stimulus. It's cool, it keeps you fresh."

After Paris, Peirsol will take a few weeks out, during which time he will get in the water a couple of times and spend a fair amount of time at leisure in the ocean. "Travelling and sleeping in" are also on the menu.

Standing back and listening to Peirsol take several more questions, the pride and support of the absent team around him - family, friends, coach Eddie Reese, teammates and others - are tangible in the aura around him. Here is an educated man. A man brimming with respect for all about him. A man impossible not to like. Here is the model ambassador for US swimming and the sport in general. One who disproves the theory that in sport nice folk never win.