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Phelps seeks something special in 100m butterfly
2009-07-09
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AFP) - Michael Phelps is after more than a World Championship berth in Thursday's 100m butterfly final at the US Swimming Championships. Phelps, retooling his programme after capturing a record eight Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Games, was clearly itching to produce something sensational in the fly, after coming within eight-hundredths of the world record at a meeting in Montreal on June 20. "Hopefully tonight we can pop a better one than Montreal," said Phelps, who posted the fastest time in qualifying with a controlled 51.17sec. Tyler McGill (51.76) was second fastest, and Aaron Peirsol (51.86) was third-quickest less than 24 hours after reclaiming his 100m backstroke world record. Both Peirsol and Phelps assured themselves of a trip to this months' World Championships in Rome with victories on Wednesday night. While Peirsol's came with a world record swim of 51.94 in the backstroke, Phelps was dissatisfied with his winning times in the 200m free and 200m fly - both of which he won in world record times in Beijing. Phelps, who has turned his attention more toward shorter distances in his post-Beijing training, sliced a tenth of a second off his personal best to win the 100m fly in 50.48sec at the Canada Cup last month - just outside the world record of 50.48 set by teammate Ian Crocker at the 2005 World Championships. That performance whetted his appetite for the event at the trials. "The 100 fly is a race I've looked forward to since Montreal," he said. Much of the attention on Phelps's new race programme for 2009 has focused on the 100m freestyle, and his effort to fine-tune a new stroke for the sprint which he has rarely raced. But Phelps said he had made other changes as well, including more work in the weight room that can help him in the 100 fly as well. "I think my upper body is a lot stronger than before, you need that for the shorter events," he said. "I've been able to have easier speed than I had before." Despite the uncertainties of his new programme, Phelps said he was enjoying his lighter schedule - especially the absence of the gruelling 400m individual medley that he swore never to race again after Beijing. "It feels awesome, are you kidding?" Phelps said. "Not having the 400 IM that first day was awesome."
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