Next stop: Rio. Michael Phelps defeated rival Ryan Lochte at their final meet of the Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, July 1.
Advertisement
Michael Phelps capped off an outstanding U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a win in the 100m butterfly, his third first-place finish of the week in as many events. He has a chance to win his fourth straight gold in the 100 fly in August’s Games at Rio de Janeiro. He never looked like he was going to disappoint his fans in his final race in America as the lanky swimmer dazzled in the pool and clocked 51.00 seconds, finishing first in the 100-metre Butterfly just ahead of Tom Shields.
For the last three Summer Games, Phelps has shouldered plenty of the load but now 31 and having dramatically scaled back his agenda, the USA will have to count on big contributions from others if the Americans are to confirm their status as swimming’s super power.
Promised Lochte: “You will definitely get a good battle”. She won the qualifying round with a time of 24.52 seconds, beating out Simone Manuel, another 19-year-old from Stanford University, (24.57) and Weitzel (24.58).
“I prefer to just get into a rhythm and go, so it’s easy to lose track of where I am in the race”, he explained after the competition. But other countries have improved since four years ago in London and Phelps knows he has to be much better by the time the Rio Games begin. Ervin’s time was the third fastest in the world this year. Shane Gould of Australia won the 200 and 400 free in world-record time at the 1972 Munich Games, and finished second in the 800 free. She is aiming for a double in the 200 and 400 meters.
“I’m not done with believing in myself, ‘” Franklin said.
But Ledecky still touched the wall in 8 minutes 10.32 seconds, almost 10 seconds in front of runner-up Leah Smith.
Away from the pool, Ledecky wants to participate in the Olympic tradition of pin trading.
Adrian surprisingly failed to qualify in the 50 free at the 2012 trials, though he did go on to capture Olympic gold in the 100 free at London.
“I do understand that I have to swim faster to have a chance to win the gold medal”, he said.
The supporters in Omaha would have also been hoping to witness Katie Ledecky beat her own world record in the 800m freestyle after she came agonisingly close in the heats earlier in the week.
The top four qualifiers into the final were all born in the 1980s, including the oldest male swimmer at Trials – 35-year-old Anthony Ervin.
Her time was 53.99 seconds, a bit slower than her best time of the year, 53.75, swum in January, which was the second-fastest time in the US this year coming into the trials.
Felix is nursing an injured right ankle that she said is still bothering her.
Phelps won in 51 seconds flat, the second-best time of the year in the 100 butterfly, and qualified for a third individual event in Rio. “I’m happy I swam it”. Franklin qualified for the 200-meter freestyle, and she’s going for a spot in the 200 backstroke Saturday night.
“I have a bunch of friends here and my mom rented out a room, so we’re all going to get together and have some food”, Phelps said.
Advertisement
Adrian swept the 50 and 100 freestyle at the trials.
