OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Brendan Hansen was done with swimming after two doses of Olympic heartache.

He's feeling a lot better now.

Next stop: London.

Hansen, who retired from the sport after the Beijing Games but couldn't stay away, made his comeback worthwhile by winning the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic trials Tuesday night.

"It was a really pressured day for me," Hansen said. "I didn't want there to be any doubt."

Eric Shanteau is heading back to the Olympics, too, and this time he doesn't have to worry about battling cancer. He rallied to finish second to Hansen, pumping his fist when he saw his position, slapping hands with the winner, then running across the deck to kiss his wife.

Four years ago, Shanteau beat out Hansen for an individual spot on the team shortly after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He put off treatment until after the games and has been healthy ever since.

Hansen wasn't the only swimmer to use the second night of the trials as redemption for Olympic disappointment.

Dana Vollmer, a gold medalist as a teenager in 2004, missed out on the team four years ago while battling injuries and health problems. It's all good now. She got off to a blistering start and soared through the water to easily win the 100 butterfly.

"I'm so relieved," Vollmer said. "It was such an exciting race. I'm really overwhelmed right now."

And, oh yeah, there was another memorable race between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, but there's a bigger showdown to come. One night after Lochte beat Phelps in the 400 individual medley, Lochte edged him out again in the semifinals of the 200 freestyle.

But that's just a tuneup for Wednesday night's final, which figures to be another classic between the world's two greatest swimmers.

"Oh, the was the semifinals. It doesn't really matter," Lochte said. "It doesn't matter until the finals. We're great racers, we just want to win. We definitely kicked it in gear the last 50, me and him. We know tomorrow night is going to be a lot faster."

Said Phelps: "It's going to be a tough race."

Lochte also has a strong morning swim in the 100 backstroke during the preliminaries, posting the second-fastest time behind Matt Grevers. But the laid-back Floridian doesn't want anything to take away from his next race with Phelps, so he dropped out of the back before the semifinals.

"That actually felt pretty good," Lochte said. "I know I have a lot left, so we'll see what happens."

He said it was his choice to scratch the 100 back.

"I just want to get ready," Lochte said. "I don't want to have to worry about swimming" an extra race.

The 30-year-old Hansen rallied over the final lap for a time of 59.68 seconds, giving him a chance to make up for the disappointment of the past two Olympics. He was one of the world's top breaststrokers leading up to both Athens and Beijing, but has yet to win an individual gold.

Shanteau was fourth at the turn, but he turned on the speed heading for the wall and got second in 1 minute, 0.15 seconds.

Vollmer was more than a half-second under the world-record pace at the turn, but she faded on the return lap. Not to worry. She had built such a commanding lead that she was a full body length ahead when she touched in 56.50.

Claire Donahue claimed the second spot for London in 57.57. Natalie Coughlin missed on her first attempt to make her third Olympic team, finishing next-to-last in the eight-woman race (58.66).

Vollmer won a relay gold at the 2004 Athens Games after making the team as a 16-year-old. Several injuries and food allergies derailed her bid at the 2008 trials, making her question whether it was worth carrying on with her career. She's sure glad she stuck with it.

"As I walked in, I saw the pool was the same and I was nervous," Vollmer said. "It's nice to put that behind me."

Also claiming a spot on the Olympic team was Allison Schmitt, who got off to a huge lead in the 400 free right from the blocks and held on to win in 4:02.84. Chloe Sutton earned the second spot in 4:04.18.

"I've had a great year of training and I'm excited to see where I am with my swims," Schmitt said.