|
 The most decorated Olympian of all-time was ahead of world record
pace after 150m, before fading slightly over the final 50m of
freestyle.
He clocked one minute 54.75 seconds, significantly faster than
fellow American Ryan Lochte swam to win the world championships in
Russia in 1:55.81 on Thursday.
Lochte holds the world record of 1:54.00 from 2011.
“I feel so old it’s kind of wild,” Phelps, 30, said in a poolside
interview as the large crowd roared in approval.
“I’ve been away from the sport for a while and I feel like I’m kind
of back where I used to be. It’s good to be here.”
After winning the 200m and 100m butterfly in 2015-world leading
times on Friday and Saturday, respectively, there was no doubt that
Phelps was back near his best form.
His Sunday performance was further confirmation that in Rio next
year he could add to his record 18 Olympic golds.
“Ryan and I have been pretty dominant in that race from since we
started racing back in 2004,” Phelps said of the 200m IM.
“He’s such a big part that I love having in the pool when we get to
race, so I’m looking forward to getting back in and competing with
him.”
Either Phelps or Lochte has held the world record since 2003.
[to top of second column] |
Phelps, who has three Olympic golds in the event and whose best time
of 1:54.23 came at the 2008 Beijing Games, said the event would
probably be in his 2016 Olympic plans.
Phelps made a great start on Sunday in the first 50m in his
signature stroke of butterfly to turn in world record pace, and
stayed ahead of the mark after the backstroke and breaststroke legs.
But his exertions caught up with him in the freestyle and he settled
for a world-leading time.
Phelps is swimming at the U.S. nationals instead of the world
championships because he was banned from the U.S. team after his
drink driving arrest last year.
He is under supervised probation for 18 months and under orders from
the judge who ruled in his case to abstain from alcohol for that
period, something he has vowed to do until after the Rio Games.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Larry
Fine)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
