Phelps gears up for 5th Olympics
Print Edition
MICHAEL Phelps gifted himself an early birthday present by winning the 200 meters butterfly at the US Olympic swimming trials on Wednesday to punch his ticket to the Rio Summer Games.
Cheered on by a capacity crowd that included his fiance Nicole and their infant son Boomer, Phelps, who turned 31 yesterday, stormed to the wall in one minute, 54.84 seconds to secure a trip to his fifth consecutive Olympics.
After checking his time, the most decorated Olympian of all-time held up five fingers in Omaha, Nebraska, to signify his remarkable accomplishment.
“It’s the reason I came back, I wanted to make another Olympics,” said Phelps, who came out of retirement in 2014. “Just to be able to get five I am at a loss for words. Having the opportunity to represent my country again is something I have been dreaming about a lot.”
Katie Ledecky, however, has had the same dreams and the 19-year-old qualified for her second individual event of the Rio Games by winning the women’s 200 freestyle. She secured her Rio ticket on Monday by winning the 400 freestyle.
Maya DiRado also had reason to celebrate winning the women’s 200 individual medley to go along with her victory in the 400 IM on Sunday.
Phelps, who has 22 Olympic medals, including 18 gold, will now head to Rio looking to reclaiming the title he won at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games but surrendered to South African Chad le Clos at the 2012 London Olympics.
US swimming’s old guard has been under attack from a group of young guns who have left many Olympic champions in their wake but Phelps left nothing to chance, the world record holder going out quick for a wire-to-wire win.
“I was just excited, I had the opportunity to make my fifth,” an emotional Phelps said. “I’ve been in the sport a long time and just being able to finish how I want to is so important to me and getting on this team is what I wanted to do.”
Phelps has trimmed back his program for Rio, scratching from the 100 and 200 free, but will try to qualify in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.
Ledecky, who is rivalling Phelps for top billing here, showed again why she is the dominant figure in women’s swimming, the world champion blazing to a runaway win in the 200 freestyle in 1:54.88 after a dominating display in the 400 free.
Franklin, a five-time medalist in London who has struggled to find her form, came second to secure her Olympic return.
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