World champion and record holder Michael Phelps shook off a little bit of early season rust to win the men’s 200m butterfly at the Pan Pacific Championships on Wednesday.
Although unhappy with a few technical points in his first event at the four-day meeting, the dominant American surged to victory in 1 minute, 54.11 seconds at the William Woolett Jr Aquatics Center.
“That was painful. Oh my God,” Phelps, 25, told reporters with a broad grin after winning the most eagerly anticipated race of the evening. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m fairly satisfied. I split it a little better than this morning [in the heats], but there’s some small technical things [to improve], the breathing off the 100 wall, that first stroke off the 100 wall. The fitness level is not there.”
PHOTO: AFP
Phelps led throughout to record the best time in the world this year, with Australian Nick D’Arcy finishing second in 1 minute, 54.73 seconds and Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda third in 1 minute, 54.81 seconds.
In other events, world record holder Aaron Peirsol of the US won the men’s 100m backstroke after an unexpected reprieve in the morning and Australia’s Emily Seebohm powered home in the women’s 100m backstroke.
Phelps, who was roared on by a partisan crowd on a balmy evening, felt the pain over the last 15m of the race.
“I was like: ‘Please get to the wall.’ I felt the splash from the water in the lane next to me and I was like: ‘Please don’t get run down, please don’t get run down.’ So still a long way to go. A long way,” Phelps said.
Peirsol edged the 100m backstroke title in a tight finish with a Pan Pacific record time of 53.31 seconds. Japan’s Junya Koga was second in 53.63 seconds and Australian Ashley Delaney third.
The 27-year-old Irvine resident had failed to qualify for the event in the morning heats after being beaten by two of his teammates, but he gained a surprise place in the final when Ryan Lochte pulled out to focus on the 200m freestyle.
Only two swimmers from each country were allowed to compete in the eight-man final.
Seebohm won the women’s 100m backstroke, touching first in a meet record time of 59.45 seconds, with Japan’s Aya Terakawa second in 59.59 seconds and Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin of the US third in 59.70 seconds.
Lochte, having surrendered his spot in the 100m backstroke final, put on an impressive late burst to win the men’s 200m freestyle after trailing South Korean Park Tae-hwan midway through the race.
The 26-year-old American surged home in 1 minute, 45.30 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year, with Park second in 1 minute, 46.27 seconds and Peter Vanderkaay of the US third in 1 minute, 46.65 seconds.
Freestyle specialist Cesar Cielo of Brazil was a surprise winner of the 50m butterfly, clocking the fastest time in the world this year with a Pan Pacific record of 23.03 seconds.
Compatriot Nicholas Santos finished second in 23.33 seconds, with South African Roland Schoeman third in 23.39 seconds.
“I wasn’t expecting the gold medal,” said a beaming Cielo, gold medalist in the 50m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Games. “I just wanted to get ready for the freestyle events.”
World champion Marieke Guehrer of Australia won the women’s 50m butterfly in a time of 25.99 seconds, while Allison Schmitt of the US triumphed in the 200m freestyle, clocking 1 minute, 56.10 seconds.
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