\nLaszlo Cseh on Phelps’ 200m fly last night. “I saw his time. It’s quite good, but it doesn’t matter because I won the World Championship.”<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) August 8, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPhelps will have a look at Cseh’s quote before he swims in the 100 fly final tonight. But it’s the words of 100 fly World Champion Chad Le Clos<\/b> that will really inspire the most-decorated Olympian of all time. Le Clos had already expressed his annoyance with Phelps calling out slow times recorded internationally in the fly events over the past few years, to which Phelps responded with his world-leading effort in the 200 fly on Friday. After Le Clos clocked 50.56 to win the 100 fly World crown<\/a>, he airmailed a message express to San Antonio.<\/p>\nChad le Clos after winning 100 butterfly. “I just did a time that [Phelps] hasn’t done in four years, so he can keep quiet now.”<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) August 8, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn fact, Phelps has not eclipsed that time by Le Clos since he set the world record in the event, a 49.83 from the tech-suit World Champs in 2009. Before this meet, no man had broken 51 seconds in the event since Phelps clocked 50.86 in the semi-finals at the Olympics (he would swim a bit slower to win the gold the next day).<\/p>\n
Phelps swam the 100 fly in prelims before the World Champs final. He qualified second<\/a> for this evening’s final with a time of 52.12, trailing just Jack Conger<\/b> and his 51.97. After the race this morning, Phelps said<\/a>, “I’ll know the final times,” indicating he would indeed check up on the results from the 100 fly final in Kazan. He surely did not expect that he would have such extensive bulletin board material to read before his swim.<\/p>\n![\"michael-phelps-200-butterfly-\"](\"http:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/michael-phelps-200-butterfly-usa-swimming-nationals-2015-1688-700x500.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
Phelps has responded with his best swims when he hears of his rivals talking trash. In the 100 fly in Rome in 2009, he answered Cavic with a 23.36 opening split, by far his fastest ever, and a world record time of 49.83, still his best time ever in the event by four tenths of a second. When the French 400 free relay team told the media they planned to win gold in the event at the 2008 Olympics, Phelps responded with a 100 free American record on the lead-off split as the U.S. went on to shock France with Jason Lezak’s<\/b> legendary anchor split.<\/p>\n
What should we expect from Phelps tonight? He showed with his 200 fly that he is indeed in physical shape, probably better shape than he has been since winning eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008. Going into the meet, Phelps probably had hoped to swim under 51 seconds, but now, he will not be fully satisfied unless he beats Le Clos’ time from Kazan and sends a new message for Le Clos to wake up to early Sunday morning.<\/p>\n
Quick Hits<\/h2>\n
*Emily Seebohm<\/b> completed the backstroke sweep<\/a> at the World Championships when she upset Missy Franklin<\/b> and Katinka Hosszu<\/b> to win the 200 back world title. Franklin led Seebohm by 1.31 seconds with just 50 meters to go, but Seebohm unleashed a monster last lap. Her 31.14 split destroyed Franklin’s 32.98 as Seebohm added her second individual World title to her collection after winning her first in the 100 back on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\nI am just living in a dream! #someonepinchme<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 Emily Seebohm (@emcbomb) August 8, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMost notable about that performance is Seebohm’s lack of experience in the 200 back. A mainstay on the international scene in the 100 for eight years \u2212 she had won one Olympic and two World medals prior to winning the title in Kazan \u2212 she had never qualified to represent Australia at either meet in the 200 back. And now, a swimmer who began 2015 with a best time of 2:07.61 has dropped all the way to 2:05.81 to pick up her second individual World title.<\/p>\n
*Singapore won its first medal of the World Championships when Joseph Schooling<\/b> grabbed the bronze in 50.96. For Schooling, that’s his first major international medal, and it gives him a leg up in a seemingly insignificant competition: his relationship with Texas teammate Jack Conger<\/b>. After Conger finished second in the 200 fly on Friday, he admitted that he was glad to beat out the 1:56.11 that Schooling swam in the event in Kazan; Conger clocked 1:54.58 to finish second to Phelps.<\/p>\n![\"Joseph_schooling_Jack_Conger\"](\"http:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Joseph_schooling_Jack_Conger-700x500.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo Courtesy: Aringo<\/p><\/div>\n
“It feels good having my name on that wall and not his,” said Conger, in reference to Texas’ school record board.” We’re always gonna mess with each other about that, and it’ll go back and forth I’m sure all the time.” Now, though, Conger will have to unleash a big swim tonight to post the number one Longhorn time for the 100 fly this year, but based on his 200 fly performance, Conger should be able to drop a big chunk from his prelims time of 51.97.<\/p>\n
*The biggest statement swim of the morning prelims at U.S. Nationals came in the men’s 50 free. 18 year old Caeleb Dressel<\/b> led the way through prelims<\/a> with a 21.85, knocking a half second off his entry time of 22.35. Dressel should have some tough competition in the final in the form of Josh Schneider<\/b> and Cullen Jones<\/b>, but the soon-to-be sophomore at Florida has been a hot name in the 50 free since winning the NCAA title in March as just a freshman.<\/p>\nThat time by Dressel moves him into sixth in the world rankings, and his time ranks second among Americans this year behind the new American record of 21.37 that Nathan Adrian<\/b> swam on Friday in Kazan. 21.8 most likely will not qualify for the American Olympic team next summer, but with the amount he has already dropped, don’t be surprised if he continues to make inroads, perhaps even as soon as in this evening’s final.<\/p>\n
*Yes, obviously I am going to talk about Katie Ledecky<\/a><\/b>. Her performance in the 800 free final<\/a> in Kazan wrapped up her Golden Sweep of the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 free races that had never before been achieved (and Ledecky added a title from the 800 free relay to boot). But it was the amount by which she shattered her own year-old world record that caused a pool deck full of swimmers halfway around the world in San Antonio to merely sigh in awe.<\/p>\n
![\"katie-ledecky-world-championships\"](\"http:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/katie-ledecky-world-championships-700x500.jpg\")
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