Michael Phelps pulled out of the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. swimming championships Friday morning. (Michael Conroy, Associated Press)
INDIANAPOLIS, July 10—Michael Phelps pulled out of the 100-meter freestyle Friday morning because of a stiff neck, ending his participation in the U.S. swimming championships.
Phelps, who set a world record in the 100 butterfly just hours before on Thursday night, said he woke up with neck pain Thursday morning. He said he was able to compete in the fly event because he doesn’t have to turn his neck to execute that stroke.
Though the pain had worsened Friday morning, Phelps said he wanted to give the 100 heats a try but decided to withdraw on the advice of his coach, Bob Bowman, and a USA Swimming doctor who advised him not to risk injury.
“I came in this morning … hopped in the water and I literally could barely move my neck to breathe,” Phelps said. “We decided it was probably better not to risk anything over the next two weeks.”
Said Bowman: “I made the call.”
Phelps, 24, won the 100 and 200 fly events here and the 200 freestyle, meaning he will compete in all three at the late-July world championships in Rome. He also is eligible for slots on all three relay teams, meaning he could try for as many as six gold medals.
Bowman said Phelps would not have swum the 100 free at the world championships even if he had competed here and made the team because it conflicts with the 200 fly, one of his strongest events.
“The 200 fly, that’s a big race, a race we don’t want to give up,” Bowman said. “We were going to swim the 200 no matter what.”
Phelps, however, hoped to test out an event that has been a grand experiment for him this summer. Phelps had competed in the 100 free previously but never focused on it. Using a new straight-arm freestyle stroke designed for speed and power, Phelps still plans to make the 100 free the next event in which he is dominant, he said.
“This doesn’t effect the long-term plan,” Bowman said.
He said he received treatment on the neck before and after Thursday night’s race and early Friday morning.
“I’ll keep going,” he said. “There will be many more races in the 100 free.”
Tags: 100 freestyle, Michael Phelps, U.S. Swimming Championships
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