Phelps Takes The 200 Fly, Just Misses World Record

By Phillip Whitten

LONG BEACH, Calif., July 10. MICHAEL Phelps just missed breaking the world record in the 200 meter butterfly at the US Olympic Swimming Trials tonight, but he did swim the world’s fastest time of 2004 in winning his third individual event here.

After the race, Phelps said: “We’re halfway through the meet and I’m halfway to my goal of qualifying for Athens in six individual events. I’m just taking it one event at a time.”

Still, Phelps said “I was disappointed with [his swim]. I found things that I could change.”

Phelps hopes to qualify in six individual events and three relays to achieve his goal of equaling or surpassing Mark Spitz’s seven-gold-medal performance at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

In the first four days of the Trials, Phelps has qualified for four events: 400 IM, 200 free, 200 fly and 4×200 free relay. He has had seven swim with a maximum of ten more still to come over the next four days.

Phelps, who split 54.62 at the 100-meter turn, was ahead of his own world record pace for the first 150 meters, but he faltered slightly coming home and touched in 1:54.31, a US Open and Olympic Trials record. His world record, set lat year at the World Championships in Barcelona, stands at 1:53.93. The old US Open mark was Phelps’ 1:54.86 from 2002. The former Trials standard was Tom Malchow’s 1:55.67 set in 2000.

Tonight, Malchow, who went on to win gold in Sydney four years ago, barely held off a fast-charging Michael Raab to earn the second US Olympic team berth in the 200 fly. Raab split 30.95 seconds on the final lap – 53-hundredths faster than Malchow – but it was Malchow who got his hands on the wall first.

In the battle for the second spot, Malchow clocked 1:57.37, followed by Raab at 1:57.71 and Davis Tarwater at 1:57.82.

USA Swimming-National Meets
2004 U. S. Olympic Team Trials – 7/7/2004 to 7/14/2004

Event 12 Men 200 LC Meter Butterfly
==================================================================
World: W 1:53.93 7/22/2003 Michael Phelps, USA
American: A 1:53.93 7/22/2003 Michael Phelps, USA
U.S. Open: O 1:54.86 8/14/2002 Michael Phelps, N. Baltimore
Meet: M 1:55.67 8/11/2000 Tom Malchow, Club Wolverine
Oly. Tr. Cut: 2:03.19
Name Age Team Semis Finals
==================================================================
=== Finals ===

1 Phelps, Michael 19 North Baltimore 1:56.66 1:54.31O
25.69 54.62 (28.93)
1:24.35 (29.73) 1:54.31 (29.96)
2 Malchow, Tom 27 Club Wolverine 1:57.52 1:57.37
26.30 55.72 (29.42)
1:25.89 (30.17) 1:57.37 (31.48)
3 Raab, Michael 21 Rockville Montgo 1:57.60 1:57.71
26.32 55.95 (29.63)
1:26.76 (30.81) 1:57.71 (30.95)
4 Tarwater, Davis 20 Univ. Of Michiga 1:58.08 1:57.82
26.68 56.48 (29.80)
1:27.20 (30.72) 1:57.82 (30.62)
5 Abercrombie, John 22 Longhorn Aquatic 1:58.82 1:58.48
26.81 56.26 (29.45)
1:26.72 (30.46) 1:58.48 (31.76)
6 Cruz, Daniel 21 Daytona Beach Sw 1:58.83 1:58.62
26.67 56.35 (29.68)
1:26.74 (30.39) 1:58.62 (31.88)
7 O'Connor, Kellan 23 Trojan Swim Club 1:59.39 1:58.97
26.94 57.08 (30.14)
1:27.33 (30.25) 1:58.97 (31.64)
8 Donnelly, Eric 24 Gator Swim Club/ 1:59.93 2:00.71
26.76 57.44 (30.68)
1:28.42 (30.98) 2:00.71 (32.29)

=== Semi-Finals ===

9 Stovall, Gil 18 Memphis Tiger Sw 2:00.23
10 Kelley, Wade 20 Longhorn Aquatic 2:00.68
11 Haupt, Matthew 24 Big Cat Aquatics 2:00.70
12 Klueh, Michael 17 Longhorn Aquatic 2:01.21
13 Ma, Zayd 21 Univ. Of Michiga 2:01.33
14 Lawler, James 21 Santa Clara Swim 2:01.70
15 Halasz, Scott 21 Indiana Swim Tea 2:02.40
16 Glasco, Joshua 20 North Carolina A 2:02.97

Michael Phelps and Tom Malchow jsut before the start of the 200 Fly final.

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