What a difference a season or two makes. Not too long back, you could find Michael Phelps losing 200 'fly races and emerging form many an off-season test to tell of waning commitment, the chore of competing when you're heart hadn't been in it.

The steel in the man and his resolve are back: in 1:56.12 he dominated his signature 'fly event at the Minneapolis Grand Prix, keeping at bay one of those who beat him some time when, Wu Peng (CHN), on 1:57.67, and then returned to the fray for a second gold, a 53.71 in the 100m backstroke edging out David Plummer buy 0.17sec, Eugene Godsoe taking bronze in 53.87, Ryan Lochte, a man who rarely shows what he's capable of at a time of intense training, fourth in 55.80. Arkady Vyatchanin, now based in Florida with Lochte's Gators group, clocked 55.88 for fifth.

In the 200m butterfly, bronze went to Tyler Clary in 1:59.63, while the B Final was won by Phelp's 17-year-old training partner Chase Kalisz, on 2:01.09, 4th fastest overall on the day as fastest over the 2min mark behind Clary's effort.

Phelps's best post-summer, pre-Christmas 200m butterfly is a 1:55.77 from the US Open in 2006, today's performance the second best of his career at this time of the year. The backstroke effort is more impressive yet: the fifth best of his career at any time of year, it compares to a previous best effort at this time of the year of 55.68, also back in 2006 at the same US Open meet.

"The last probably three or four weeks has probably been the most challenging weeks I’ve had since before Beijing," Phelps told reporters, reflecting on 18 days of intense work at Colorado Springs after his world cup tour in Europe. "So, there’s been a lot of work that’s getting taken care of. We’re on the right path. We just have to be able to stay on this path for the next couple months."

Allison Schmitt, Phelps's training partner at Baltimore, also made the podium twice more. First up she settled for silver behind Kathleen Hersey 2:09.84 to 2:11.26 in the 200m 'fly, Lyndsay DePaul on 2:12.41 for bronze, then clocked 4:07.78 in the 400m freestyle, overhauling Chloe Sutton on the last 50m, a 4:08.18 from the second American home keeping France’s Camille Muffat at nay by 0.1sec.

Missy Franklin was a class apart in the 100m backstroke, a 59.69 1.5 sec up on those following for the minor spoils, Margaret Meyer and Rachel Bootsma, on 1:01.24 and 1:01.27 respectively. The final also featured Ariana Kukors, on 1:02.15 and Florida-based 2009 world champion and record holder Gemma Spofforth (GBR) on 1:03.83, a touch slower than her heats effort, the toil of training in the mix of so many performances right now (Kate Ziegler, 4:14 400 free, Dagny Knutson, 4:18 etc)

Back in 18th and 2nd in the C final of the 100m backstroke was former Olympic silver medallist Laure Manaudou (FRA), on 1:03.42 as she works her way back to competitiveness.

Fred Bousquet, the French sprint based at Auburn for much of his time leading up to Olympic trials next spring, pounded out a 22.17 win in the 50m free ahead of Brett Fraser, of the Cayman Islands, on 22.41, South African Gideon Louw, on 22.59 for third, Garrett Weber-Gale fourth in 22.88, and back in 6th in a rare dash appearance Yannick Agnel (FRA), on 23.03. In the B final, US-based Brit Simon Burnett clocked 22.68.

The women's freestyle dash saw Amanda Weir pip Jessica Hardy 25.04 to 25.10, with bronze shared by Dara Torres, 44, and Kara Lynn Joyce, on 25.30. Franklin also made that final, a 25.59 sixth place more important for her preparations as podium potential in the 100m free come London 2012.

California-based Tunisian Oussama Mellouli clocked 3:49.60 to win the 400m free ahead of Zhang Lin (CHN) and Yannick Agnel (FRA), on 3:50.48 and 3:50.52 respectively.

Olympic champion Rebecca Soni dominated the 200m breaststroke in 2:24.77, ahead of Ashley McGregor (CAN) and Katy Freeman, on 2:29.23 and 2:29.26, while the men's equivalent went to Clark Burckle in 2:14.42, former world record holder Brendan Hansen second on 2:14.82, Jack Brown third in 2:15.57.