Phelps back to winning ways
It’s a triumph over personal demons
OLYMPIC superstar Michael Phelps ended the Minneapolis Pro Swim Series meeting on a high note on Saturday with a wire-to-wire victory in the men’s 200m individual medley.
After defeats in the 100m and 200m butterfly on the first two days of competition, the 18-time Olympic gold medalist cruised to victory in the 200 IM, his winning time of 1min 59.30sec putting him just more than a second ahead of Conor Dwyer (2:00.73).
Venezuela’s Carlos Claverie was third in 2:03.04.
“I am just having fun and enjoying this,” said Phelps. “It feels good to pick up where we left off last season.”
Phelps, whose comeback aimed at the 2016 Rio Games was almost derailed by a drunk-driving arrest last year, said he’s training and racing with new enthusiasm since confronting personal demons in rehab.
He finished his first meeting in three months with a victory, a second-place and a third-place finish.
In other finals, freestyle star Katie Ledecky won the 800m free in 8:19.16, with Becca Mann second in 8:21.77.
Missy Franklin, a quadruple gold medalist at the 2012 London Games who had struggled through a disappointing year since turning pro after the NCAA collegiate championships in March, won her second race in as many nights, adding the 200m backstroke title to the 100m backstroke she won on Friday.
Franklin, who holds the world record of 2:04.06, clocked 2:07.24. American Maya DiRado was second in 2:08.85 and Dominique Bouchard third in 2:09.47.
Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian won the men’s 100m freestyle in 48.49, holding off Canadian Santo Condorelli who took silver in 48.65. — AFP