Michael Phelps grabbed the spotlight at the United States swimming nationals on Wednesday, scooping a pair of titles while narrowly missing out on a world record in the 200m backstroke in Indianapolis.
Phelps, who set himself an ambitious 10-event programme at the Indiana University Natatorium pool, got the meet off to a quiet start on Tuesday failing to qualify for the final of the 200m breaststroke.
But the 22-year-old stamped his mark on the championships on Wednesday, winning the 200m backstroke and later helping the Michigan Wolverines to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay to take his tally of national titles to 34.
Phelps, who is rarely able to work the 200m backstroke into his programme, led from the horn storming to the wall in a time of one minute, 54,65 seconds, just ,33 seconds off the world record of 1.54,32 set by Ryan Lochte at the world championships in March.
Chris Dejong was a distant second in 1.56,75 while Lochte could finish no better than fourth after winning the 400m individual medley an hour earlier.
”I saw the split at 150 and saw I was only a tenth off and tried to do everything I could,” Phelps told poolside reporters. ”But I had nothing left in the tank.”
Surprise winner
Dana Torres, a 40-year-old mother, bidding to make her fifth Olympic team showed she still has what it takes touching first in the 100m freestyle.
Torres, who competed in her first Olympics at the 1984 Summer Games, led from the gun beating Amanda Weir to the wall in a time of 54,45.
”You can’t put an age on your dreams,” said Torres. ”It’s great to be back swimming against these young swimmers.”
David Walters was also a surprise winner of the men’s 100m free clocking 48,96 to pip Ryk Neethling, a member of South Africa’s gold medal relay team from the 2004 Athens Olympics, by 2/100ths of a second.
With world record holder Phelps choosing not to swim the 400m individual medley, Lochte romped to an easy win, the world championship silver medallist roaring home in 4.13,55, more than two seconds clear of Erik Vendt, the winner of the 1 500m freestyle.
Caitlin Leverenz, the 200m breaststroke champion at the recent Panamerican Games, powered her way to victory in the 400m individual medley touching in 4.40,81 ahead of 17-year-old Kathleen Hersey, a quadruple gold medallist at the Panams.
In the women’s 200m backstroke, Katie Hoff clocked a personal best 2,10,31 to claim victory. – Reuters