Phelps on course at trials
MICHAEL Phelps limbered up for his 200m medley showdown with Ryan Lochte at the US Olympic swimming trials yesterday by booking a berth in the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly.
Phelps, whose remarkable 18 Olympic gold medals include three 100m butterfly victories, was third in his heat in 51.87sec, the sixth-fastest time of the morning in an event topped by the 51.61 of Matthew Josa.
Lochte also made it through in the 100m butterfly, but scratched the semi-finals to focus on his individual medley duel with Phelps.
“I think it’s one of the greatest rivalries in sports,” Lochte said after qualifying first in the individual medley ahead of Phelps.
Lochte, the world record holder and world champion, and three-time Olympic gold medallist Phelps hope to add one last chapter to that rivalry in Rio.
World record-holder Katie Ledecky underscored her dominance of the 800m freestyle, winning her heat emphatically in 8:10.91. That was the third-fastest time ever and gave Ledecky all 10 of the fastest times ever recorded in the event.
She was more than 10 seconds faster than Leah Smith, who won her heat in 8:21.64 to go into today’s final as the second seed.
Ledecky, already booked to swim the 200m and 400m freestyle in Rio, was due to drop down in distance last night in the final of the 100m freestyle, where she is hoping to stake a claim to a relay berth.
“I don’t think I’ve done this before, 800 free prelim and big-time 100 free final. It’ll be fun, a little different,” said the 19-year-old.
“The goal is to help out the relay as much as I can. I’m not thinking individually for that, yet.”
In other finals yesterday, Tyler Clary was aiming for a chance to defend the men’s 200m backstroke title that he won in London, and 100m breaststroke winner Lilly King was due to try to complete the double in the 200m. – Reuters