World Championships: Looking for No. 7, Michael Phelps Qualifies First in 400 I.M.

By John Lohn

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 31. HIS seventh gold medal is within his grasp. Six-for-six heading into the final day of the competition, Michael Phelps led qualifying for the championship final of the 400 individual medley behind a preliminary time of 4:12.01. Phelps looked at ease throughout the race, in which he holds the world record of 4:08.26.

Phelps was coming off a victory the previous night in the 100 butterfly. Using a late charge, as he did at the Athens Olympics, Phelps narrowly beat teammate Ian Crocker. If Phelps can win the 400 I.M. tonight, he'll have won individual gold in the 200 freestyle, both butterfly events and both medley disciplines. He's set world records in the 200 free, 200 fly and 200 I.M.

Qualifying second for the final was Italian Luca Marin, swimming next to Phelps in the sixth of seven heats. Marin clocked in at 4:13.33 to place ahead of Tunisia's Ous Mellouli (4:13.44), the world champ in the 800 freestyle. The fourth position was occupied by American Ryan Lochte, the gold medalist in the 200 backstroke and silver medalist in the 100 back and 200 I.M. Defending world champ Laszlo Cseh (Hungary) was fifth in 4:15.41.

The field for the final is rounded out by Greece's Ioannis Drymonakos (4:16.65), Hungary's Tamas Kerekjarto (4:17.68) andVasileios Demetis of Greece (4:17.73).

Click Here to view event results PDF file.

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