Michael Phelps, shown here competing in the 100 fly Friday, swam more than six seconds above his personal best in the 400 medley Saturday (Steve Ruark, Associated Press)
ANNAPOLIS, Dec. 12 — Michael Phelps didn’t have a fantastic time, either in the water or on the scoreboard, but he convinced himself he can try to regain his American record in the 400-yard individual medley — a mark he lost in the technical suit onslaught last spring — with a strong performance Saturday on the second day of a three-day holiday meet at the U.S. Naval Academy.
After Phelps touched the wall in his third race at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club Christmas Meet, his head spun first to the scoreboard, then to his coach, Bob Bowman, and both offered the encouraging feedback he hoped for in his return to an event he has both dreaded and dominated.
Phelps, the 14-time Olympic gold medal winner, finished in 3 minutes 42.53 seconds, nearly 11 seconds ahead of North Baltimore Aquatic Club teammate Drew Cosgarea, 17 (3:53.44). NBAC’s Brennan Morris, 19, who swam in the world championships in Rome this summer, finished in 3:54.78.
Though his time was more than six seconds slower than his ’06 personal best and 6.55 seconds behind the American record Tyler Clary set in the event last March at the NCAA championships, it would have given Phelps the gold medal at last weekend’s U.S. short-course (25-yard-pool) championships in Federal Way, Wash.
That was “great,” Bowman said. “He was three seconds faster than they went in nationals; it was the first one he did since Beijing; and he’s done absolutely no training for it.”
Over an hour later, Phelps finished first in the 100 backstroke, not one of his specialty events, in 46.73 seconds, more than a second off of his personal best of 45.50 and well off of Ryan Lochte’s American record of 44.60, but still a respectable time.
“That was just for fun,” Bowman said.
The 400 medley, however, was serious business. Though Phelps has rarely swum short-course yards since high school, he got very interested in reclaiming his American record in the medley after Clary of the University of Michigan set the current best of 3:35.98 last spring during a technical-suit dominated NCAA championships.
The NCAA and USA Swimming banned technical suits this year, and they will be banned internationally in January.
Phelps, 24, owns the 400 medley record in Olympic-distance, 50-meter pools, but his best time in short-course yards — the 3:36.26 he swam in 2006 — trails Clary by a half a second.
Both Phelps and Bowman said a bit of work on Phelps’s sluggish breaststroke and backstroke legs could produce a significant time drop in just a few months – and, perhaps, the American record, even without a technical suit.
“I think I could [break it] if I put my mind to it,” Phelps said.
But, he was asked, will he put his mind to it?
Phelps grinned.
“I’d like to,” he said.
Bowman agreed.
“I can get him in that range in no time,” Bowman said. “That time is really good.”
It did not come without considerable pain. After the race, Phelps’s back heaved and his mouth hung open, sucking in air. When he saw his sister Hillary after hauling himself out of the pool, he told her: “I haven’t done that since Beijing. Now I know why.”
Phelps, indeed, has refused to swim the distance in Olympic-distance pools since the 2008 Summer Games, saying he is weary of the taxing event and the training required to excel in it. Bowman, however, said it would be “my dream” for Phelps to take up the Olympic-distance 400 medley again, and Phelps said even his mother is urging him to do it.
“My mom wants me to come back for meters,” Phelps said. “Most of the time [I listen to her] but when it comes to that, I may have to rebel.”
As for the 400 medley in short-course yards, the race is on for that.
“I always felt like he could put up a time that nobody could beat,” Bowman said, “forever.”
Tags: Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte
Amy,
I think you mean that Phelps trails Clary by half a second not half a minute
Yikes!! Thanks; corrected it….
Another good article Amy – great stuff!
It’s will be interesting to see what he swim next year as that will probably be the best indication so far as to what 2012 will hold in store.
It’s hard to see him defending the 400IM title and also claiming the gold in the 100 free. Ian Thorpe arguably the greatest freestyler of all time (asides from maybe Gould), could only manage a bronze in the 100 free whilst maintaining the distance work in his training to capture the 400 free. Admittedly Phelps dominance on butterfly allows him to be working that much less that the other competitors down the first two lengths, and the advantage he gains on most of the turns is one element he has that Thorpe didn’t (well not to nearly the same degree shall we say).
From what he has said in the last 16-17 months here is my assessment of the events he may or may not swim in London:
-50 free (unlikely-NO ENTRY)
-100 Free (since Beijing this has been on the agenda, arguably his toughest test, new suit rules should be to Phelps’ advantage, expect to see this being swam 2010 onwards-COMPETE)
-200 Free (hard to see him stepping away from this after Biedermann toppled him in Rome-COMPETE)
-400 Free (swam this in some early season meets this year, but unlikely to take this up given his dislike for the 400IM, last competitve outing was a flop in 05 Worlds, would need to swim 3:41-3:43 to win – a 3-6 second + on current PR-NO ENTRY)
-100 Butterfly (unbeaten in 4 years, 4 world champ medals – 2 gold, 3 WRs, 2 olympic titles. This might be the one he drops, although you get the sense he likes Cavic for a whipping boy!-DROP)
-200 Butterfly (has stated in 09 that he will not drop this event as his mum will not let him!-COMPETE)
-100 Backstroke (hard to say, there was an indication that backstroke might be added to the schedule but this did not materialise in Rome. in the build-up to Beijing he was ranked # 3 all time 200 back, but since the suits went crazy he has slipped down the order-DROP)
-200 Backstroke (as above-DROP)
-200 IM (although lochte took his WR, no indication yet that he wants to pick this one up, perhaps the 400IM scy performance is to shape him up mentally for return to the 200IM competively-COMPETE)
-400 IM (I think he will win the battle and this will be dropped LT as the volume of training will probably to do sufficient land work for the shorter distances-DROP)
-4*100 Medley Relay (butterly-COMPETE)
-4*100 free relay (COMPETE)
-4*200 free relay (might we see Phelps switch to anchor leg swimming?-COMPETE)
That makes for seven events.
wow
Honestly, if there’s one event that I CAN’T see Phelps dropping, it’s the 100 fly. It’s perfect for him with his new focus on speed and his always-amazing butterfly. In an interview on at worlds (during day 8 broadcast), Bob Bowman made it clear Phelps will be returning to the 200 IM at the very least, and he will be gunning to get his record back. While that might not happen in 2010, he should be able to beat Lochte, who is just starting to get back in the pool after a long post-Rome break and a knee injury.
I was there and recorded his 400 IM – posted
“I’ll never swim eight events at a major competition again. When you’re swimming so many events, all you do is eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim.”
…if you think he’ll swim the 100 fly, perhps suggest which of the others he’s not going to swim…
I know what Phelps has said about the 100 free and 200 fly, but doing both (unless the schedule changes) would mean three events on one night (100 free semis, 200 fly final, 4×200 relay final – which he WILL be in), including the first two with only one race between.
I don’t think he will do either the 400 IM or 400 free in London (means the whole first day off most likely), but I do think he will pick up one or both of them for meets in 2010 or 2011 (Nationals, Pan Pacs, maybe Worlds). I don’t think he has done his last 400 IM long course – it might not be a big meet, but he will probably do it again.
I can’t wait to see him kick A** in Irvine UltraSwim Jan 15, nobody in Tech Suits.
I’d sure like to see him do some open-water, that would REALLY mix it up. Anyone else?