Michael Phelps easily won the 200m butterfly on the first day of the Paris Open before ending a disappointing last in the 100m freestyle.
Phelps led from the start to finish the 200m fly in 1 minute, 55.70 seconds. Christophe Lebon edged fellow Frenchman Jordan Coelho to finish second in 1 minute, 59.01 seconds.
Phelps competed in the 100m freestyle final about half an hour later and finished eighth. Frenchman Fabien Gilot won in 48.65 seconds.
“I’m glad I was able to touch first because this was a high-level race, even if we all know that Michael [Phelps] is not a real 100m freestyle specialist,” Gilot said. “But his time will come.”
Swimming in lane one next to world champion Cesar Cielo of Brazil, Phelps took a slow start and clocked 49.70 seconds.
“I think as a whole, for the day, it’s not terrible,” Phelps said. “I’m more happy with my fly. I think there is still a lot of work to do.”
Phelps was also to compete in the 200m freestyle and the 200m individual medley yesterday.
“I will try to recover as much as I can,” Phelps said. “It’s gonna be a tough day.”
Phelps, who turns 25 at the end of the month, holds the record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics, with eight won at the 2008 Beijing Games.
He is competing in Paris as part of his preparations for the US trials, which will determine the roster for August’s Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California.
“I’m a bit disappointed with the race,” Phelps said of the 100m freestyle. “It just shows where we stand right now. I know I should be a lot faster that that.”
Cielo finished fifth in 49.23 seconds, while American Nathan Adrian, looking to gain some more racing experience before the Pan Pacific championships, tied for second place with Yannick Agnel of France in 48.83 seconds.
Olympic champion Alain Bernard of France disappointed his home crowd, failing to qualify for the 100m free final. Bernard posted the 18th time in the heats in 50.44 seconds.
Bernard, swimming in the same heat as Phelps, was unable to accelerate in the last 50m. The Frenchman, who is gearing up for August’s European championships in Budapest, Hungary, said he was not worried by his performance.
“I was very tired,” Bernard said. “And when you’re tired, there is nothing you can do.”
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