Michael Phelps is building up to an attempt to claim back the world 200m medley record to friend and rival Ryan Lochte: at Annapolis yesterday he came within half second of the US record in the 200 yard medley.
Racing at the Maryland Championships at the US Naval Academy Championships, the winner of 14 Olympic gold medals clocked 1:40.58, his best time by almost a second. Phelps dropped the 500 yard free to focus on medley. The time is difficult to relate to metres, the international standard, and means little to many around the world who never swim yards but relates to this: Lochte set the US record of 1:40.08 at 2007 short-course nationals when he registered a rare win over Phelps.
"I felt good this morning in the pool. I was able to rest last night, have a good meal, a good night's sleep, and then I was able to come in here and swim my best time by over a second." Phelps told AP at a meet taking place up the road from where he lives.
"For right now, that's very good. I was a lot more focused than I was last night," Phelps said the day after finishing 3sec outside best in the 400 yards medley (not entirely dropped from the schedule, especially at a time when stamina if being rebuilt. "There are still parts I can improve in, but to be able to go out and swim my best time ever and come within half a second (of Lochte), I am very pleased."
Phelps races the 200 yard 'fly today. It is the event he feels closest too. "It has been my bread and butter since 2000 and it is the event in which I qualified for my first Olympics," Phelps told AP. "It's a strong event for me, and I am coming in tomorrow in a very good frame of mind."
Coach at theNorth Baltimore Aquatic Club, Bob Bowman said: "Michael had such a good morning in the 200 IM, and the other event (the 500 freestyle) was like three hours (actually two) later in the evening, so we decided to give him a rest and let him just concentrate on the 200 IM. Obviously it paid off. For him to be just a five-tenths off the record is a big step forward for us."
