It's a promoter' s dream; the world's two best swimmers -- American Michael Phelps and Australian Ian Thorpe -- at the same meet.
Unfortunately for organizers of the Melbourne World Cup short-course meet beginning today, the closest the two will come is crossing paths in the change rooms or having a chat poolside.
Phelps and Thorpe, holders of a combined eight 50m world records, will swim in eight events at the three-day meet in a 25m pool at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Center, but never in the same race.
The two could be the stars of the Athens Olympics next year, with Phelps tipped to equal or surpass Mark Spitz's seven gold swim medals at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
Phelps has been the star of the year, taking three individual gold medals at the Barcelona world championships and setting five world records. He has broken 11 individual career 50m records, eight of them this year.
Thorpe is the current Olympic and triple world champion in the 400 meters and holds three world marks in freestyle distances. He won three gold medals at Barcelona and until Phelps came into the spotlight this year, was the recognized top swimmer in the world.
Phelps, who says his main reason for competing here is to "find out where we are at" in training for Athens, was ever the diplomat when asked if he would have preferred to swim against Thorpe this weekend.
"I don't know if I came here expecting to. It's fun to race one of the world's top swimmers," said Phelps. "|But there is a time and place for everything."
When asked whether he and Thorpe were playing a game of cat and mouse, he replied, smiling: "I don't think so."
Thorpe pulled out of a race against Phelps on Wednesday night in Sydney at the Qantas Skins meet, citing a tough flight home from Flagstaff, Arizona, where his New South Wales state teammates were training.
Phelps will swim in the 200m butterfly and 100m individual medley today, the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley tomorrow and the 100m butterfly on Sunday.
Thorpe is scheduled to race in the 100m freestyle today, 50m butterfly tomorrow and 50m freestyle on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RSS