Ryan Lochte downed Michael Phelps in the men’s 400m medley at the US Olympic swimming trials on Monday in a race that gave a glimpse of the fireworks they could produce at the London Games.
Lochte seized control on the breaststroke leg and held on to beat Phelps for the first time in the punishing four-stroke event.
Lochte won in 4 minutes, 7.06 seconds, while Phelps, the world record-holder and two-times Olympic champion, was second, booking an Olympic berth in 4:07.89.
Photo: AFP
Tyler Clary, the World Championships silver medalist behind Lochte in Shanghai last year, was the odd man out.
He finished third in 4:09.92, but only the top two finishers in each event in the eight-day meeting make the Olympic team.
Lochte, beaten by Phelps in nine prior 400m medley clashes dating back to 2002, said he was not trying to make a statement against the 14-time Olympic gold medalist.
“I wanted to win,” he said. “I wanted to get on the Olympic team. Now I can just do what I love to do, have fun and race.”
After making the 400m medley one of his eight triumphs in Beijing, Phelps had vowed he would not swim it again in major international competition.
“The thing it came down to — I wanted to do it,” Phelps said. “This is an event I’ve done for a long time and I want to finish off my career doing it.”
Phelps became the first male US swimmer to qualify for four Olympics. By qualifying in the 400m medley, Phelps gives himself a chance to become the first male swimmer to win the same event at three straight Games — although it is clear he will have his work cut out to beat Lochte.
“That time was not good at all,” Lochte said. “I know I’m capable of going faster.”
Lochte, Phelps and Clary were already all faster than the previous fastest time in the world this year — 4:10.26, set by Japan’s Kosuke Hagino.
Phelps will also be favored to punch his ticket in four other individual events, the 100m and 200m butterfly, the 200m freestyle and the 200m medley, all of which he won in Beijing.
If he swam all three relays, he could again have an eight-event schedule in London.
However, now Phelps will face tough competition from Lochte, who emerged from Phelps’ shadow as he won five titles at the World Championships last year.
That included victories in showdowns with Phelps in the 200m medley and 200m freestyle.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS