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Phelps faces duel in the pool
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-14 06:47

Michael Phelps got a real taste of just what it will take to win seven gold medals in Athens at the US Olympic trials on Monday, starting with Aaron Peirsol's world record-breaking triumph in the 200m backstroke.

Peirsol bettered his own 200m backstroke world record with a time of 1 minute, 54.74 seconds, relegating Phelps to second place for the first time at these trials.

Peirsol improved on the previous mark of 1:55.15 he set in Minneapolis in 2002. It was one of two world records to fall on Monday as Amanda Beard snatched back the 200m breaststroke world mark she surrendered to Australian Leisel Jones on Saturday.

Phelps's second-place finish, in 1:55.86, didn't do anything to derail his bid for a possible seven gold medals in Athens, since the top two finishers in each event qualify for the Olympic team.

The 19-year-old from Maryland finished the night qualified for Athens in five individual events, coming back less than half an hour after the 200m back to win the 200m individual medley in 1:56.71.

It was outside his own world record, but still the third-fastest in history.

"Tonight's 200 back was an eye-opener," Phelps said. "I knew what we're trying to do isn't going to be easy, but after five races you begin to think about it."

Phelps, the first US man to qualify for the Olympics in five individual swimming events, admitted it was the hardest night of his career.

"Definitely, facing Peirsol head-to-head, pretty much stroke-for-stroke the first 150m ... definitely in this environment, the hardest night of my career," he said.

But in characteristic fashion, Phelps said he tried to use the defeat, as well as Peirsol's cap-tossing celebration, as fuel in his other two races of the night.

"After the backstroke, going into the IM, I wanted to try to fire up a good one," he said. "I wanted to go out and try to make a statement."

Phelps's night wasn't over as he continued his campaign in another tough event, the 100m butterfly, 40 minutes later.

World record-holder Ian Crocker topped the semi-finals with the fastest time in the world this year, 51.25sec. Phelps won his semi-final in 51.89.

"I can say going up for the 100 fly I was pretty tired," said Phelps, who nonetheless achieved his aim of breaking the 52-second barrier in his third race of the night.

"I'm happy it's over," said Phelps, who will finish off his trials campaign going head-to-head with Crocker on Tuesday night. "It's good to get that out of the way. I know I can do that schedule in Athens."

Peirsol said he wouldn't be surprised to see Phelps improve in the 200m back between now and the start of the Athens Games on August 13.

"You know, it's up to him," Peirsol said. "He's a tough cookie."

Phelps said he certainly would be doing everything he could between now and Athens to ready himself for Peirsol, Crocker and another world record-holder he could meet at the Games, Australian Ian Thorpe.

"Anything can happen between now and then," he said of his potential progress.

Beard, for her part, said that her newly established world record was no guarantee of anything in Athens. "I think all eight people in the finals are going to be going for it," she said of the 200m breast, predicting the record could drop twice more at the Games.

Beard clocked 2 minutes,22.44 seconds to reclaim the mark that Australian Leisel Jones had grabbed on Saturday in Brisbane with a swim of 2:22.96. Jones had broken the mark shared by Beard and China's Qi Hui.

Beard, who was 14 when she swam in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, has now qualified for three individual events in her third Games, thanks to victories in both the 100m and 200m breaststrokes and a runner-up finish in the 200m individual medley.



 
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