Phelps wins final events, shy of American mark in 200 IM

Showing at championships encouraging for swimmer

By John Maher | Special To The Sun

March 6, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas - Michael Phelps finished off the American short course championships in style yesterday.

Before a young and enthusiastic crowd, Phelps won his final events of the three-day meet, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200 individual medley.

For a while, it looked as if Phelps would set a new American record in the 200 individual medley. He finished about a second off in 1:42.78.

"It's a best time, but there are a lot of things to work on," he said.

Phelps, from Rodgers Forge, took the 100 freestyle in 42.53 seconds, beating Nicholas Brunelli of the Sun Devil swim team and U.S. Olympian Neil Walker.

"I wanted him to beat his best time in the 100 free," said Bob Bowman, Michigan coach and Phelps' long-time club coach. Bowman said Phelps' best at that distance was 43.4.

Bowman said he didn't really know what to expect in the 200 individual medley. It's one of Phelps' specialties, but he's had a long meet, and this was his first serious competition since winning eight medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

The highlight for Phelps - and for the meet - was Phelps' 200-yard freestyle Thursday. His 1:32.08 shattered Matt Biondi's 1987 benchmark of 1:33.03 and established a new American and U.S. open record.

"I was pretty pleased about that. Hopefully I will be able to step up in three weeks," said Phelps, who is pointing for the U.S. trials for the world championships. The trials will be in Indianapolis in early April and the world championships will be in Montreal in July.

Phelps said he was pleased with results from this weekend, where he competed against some of the best former swimmers from the University of Texas.

"It's fun racing new people," Phelps said. "To get better, you have to race the best. To be able to come down here and race these guys in their own pool, to be able to just go out and have a good time, that's the best part of swimming."

From Austin, Phelps will head back to Ann Arbor. He's a student at Michigan, although he can't compete for the Wolverines because he's a professional.

"I'm taking two classes right now. I haven't been in a classroom in about two years, so I'm trying to start slow and just go from there," Phelps said.

Phelps is a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan but doesn't do any hands-on coaching.

"He's more of a coach by example, by letting them know what's possible. It raises the standards," Bowman said.

Phelps said he plans to go to the upcoming NCAA championships for a day or two to cheer the Wolverines on before focusing on the U.S. trials.

Bowman added, "By the end of summer we hope to be at the fitness level that he was for the Olympics, and then we'll build from there."