Phelps puts one over Grant

original link

MICHAEL Phelps stopped Grant Hackett’s bold bid for a quadrella of freestyle world titles today, but couldn’t prevent the Australia captain making more history.

The distance great collected his 14th medal at a world swimming championships, more than any other swimmer.

Hackett moved one medal clear of countryman Ian Thorpe, American Jenny Thompson and Germany’s Michael Gross by winning silver behind Phelps in a pulsating 200m freestyle final at the Parc Jean-Drapeau.

“It is huge honour to be in front of so many great names of swimming on the world stage over the years,” said Hackett, who has won eight world titles in his career.

“I am just hoping that in future world championships and even in future races this week I can add further to that tally.”

The Queenslander only fully committed to the four-lap race last month following the withdrawal of Dutch speedster Pieter van den Hoogenband.

The move was seen as a reply to Phelps’ decision to move onto Hackett’s turf by competing in the 400m freestyle.

The American superfish flopped before Hackett triumphed in the eight-lap event on the opening day but was never headed tonight as he touched the wall at 1min 45.20sec. Hackett (1min 46.14sec) has swum 1100m more than Phelps this week but the lanky Queenslander has never been as fast in the 200m as the Baltimore Bullet was today.

But Phelps, who collected bronze in the 200m at last year’s Olympics, conceded he still had to prove himself against the best in the event.

“Feels good to get it done but, the two that beat me still aren’t here,” he said of the absent Thorpe and van den Hoogenband.

“When I’m able to stand up against Thorpe and van den Hoogenband again, hopefully it will be a better challenge.”

Hackett wasn’t too disheartened but admitted his 800m heat in the morning had taken the edge off him.

“It doesn’t matter how good you are, a 7:47(800m swim) is always going to take it out of you a little bit and certainly that race was quite tough,” he said.

“Like I said it’s a good time, it’s the fastest 200m I think I have been since our Olympic trials in 2004 so I’m pleased with the result.”

Hackett still has the 800m final tomorrow night and the 1500m final on Sunday night.

Phelps wins but Hackett sets new record

original link

MONTREAL: Michael Phelps stopped Grant Hackett’s bold bid for a quadrella of freestyle world titles tonight, but couldn’t prevent the Australian captain making more history.

The distance great collected his 14th medal at a world swimming championships, more than any other swimmer.

Hackett moved one medal clear of countryman Ian Thorpe, American Jenny Thompson and Germany’s Michael Gross by winning silver behind Phelps in a pulsating 200m freestyle final at the Parc Jean-Drapeau.

“It is huge honour to be in front of so many great names of swimming on the world stage over the years,” said Hackett, who has won eight world titles in his career.

“I am just hoping that in future world championships and even in future races this week I can add further to that tally.”

The Queenslander only fully committed to the four-lap race last month following the withdrawal of Dutch speedster Pieter van den Hoogenband.

The move was seen as a reply to Phelps’ decision to move onto Hackett’s turf by competing in the 400m freestyle.

The US superfish flopped before Hackett triumphed in the eight-lap event on the opening day but was never headed tonight as he touched the wall at one minute 45.20 seconds.

Hackett (1:46.14) has swum 1100m more than Phelps this week but the lanky Queenslander has never been as fast in the 200m as the Baltimore Bullet was tonight.

But Phelps, who collected bronze in the 200m at last year’s Olympics, conceded he still had to prove himself against the best in the event.

“Feels good to get it done but, the two that beat me still aren’t here,” he said of the absent Thorpe and van den Hoogenband.

“When I’m able to stand up against Thorpe and van den Hoogenband again, hopefully it will be a better challenge.”

Hackett wasn’t too disheartened but admitted his 800m heat in the morning had taken the edge off him.

“It doesn’t matter how good you are, a 7:47 [800m swim] is always going to take it out of you a little bit and certainly that race was quite tough,” he said.

“Like I said it’s a good time, it’s the fastest 200m I think I have been since our Olympic trials in 2004 so I’m pleased with the result.”

Hackett still has the 800m final tomorrow night and the 1500m final on Sunday night.

Phelps upstages Hackett

original link

Australia’s Grant Hackett has been upstaged by United States sensation Michel Phelps in the semi finals of the men’s 200m freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Montreal.

Hackett had qualified fastest from the heats in the morning, but Phelps, who surprisingly failed to qualify for the 400m freestyle on the first day of the meet, found his rhythm to record a semi final time of one minute 46.33 seconds.

Italian Emiliano Brembilla was second quickest in winning the second heat, while Aussie Nicholas Sprenger (1:47.57) pipped Hackett (1:47.66) to qualify third for the final on day three of the meet.

Hackett is eying four individual gold medals at the meet, having already won the 400m. His other events are the 800m and the 1500m.

Leisel Jones lost her world record to American Jess Hardy in the 100m breaststroke but still qualified second and will be looking for a medal in the final where she’ll be joined by Brooke Hanson.

Australia’s Sophie Edington just qualified for the final of the women’s 100m backstroke, but Giaan Rooney missed out, managing just sixth in her semi-final.

There was also disappointment for 2001 world champion Matt Welsh in the 100m backstroke, as he and Andrew Lauterstein both failed to get past the semi finals in the event.

Phelps returns to form in 200

original link

MONTREAL - Michael Phelps made it through the morning.
One day after flopping in the preliminaries of the 400-meter freestyle, Phelps breezed into the final of the 200 free at the World Swimming Championships yesterday.
Phelps seemed to be back on form, posting the best time in the semifinals, but his first individual medal of the worlds will have to wait until at least today, when he finally gets a much-anticipated race against Australia’s Grant Hackett.
Phelps failed to qualify for the final of the 400 free and ruined any chance of matching the eight medals he won at the Athens Olympics last summer, but he put up a 1:46.33 in the 200 semis while an energy-conserving Hackett settled comfortably in fourth.
“I wanted to go out there and be the first seed,'’ Phelps said. “I wanted to show that the first race wasn’t how I planned to swim the whole meet.'’
Hackett, who has the 800 free preliminaries this morning, didn’t want to burn himself out in the 200. He was pleased with a time of 1:47.66.
“It was a really controlled swim,'’ Hackett said. “I wanted to do it with a minimal amount of energy.'’
The highlight of the night was another showdown between Brendan Hansen, who holds world records in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke, and Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima, who swept Hansen in those events at the Athens Olympics last summer.
Eager for redemption, Hansen got another chance at the world championships, with Kitajima in the very next lane for the 100 final.
Hansen took control in the first 50 and touched first in 59.37 seconds - just off the record of 59.30 he set at last year’s U.S. Olympic trials. Kitajima was second in 59.53.
When Hansen saw his name atop the scoreboard, he splashed the water in delight. France’s Hugues Duboscq won bronze.
“Everyone keeps asking me, `What was that extra thing I had tonight?’ ‘’ Hansen said. “It was definitely emotion. Not many people get a second chance, so I didn’t want to screw it up twice.'’
The record-breaking yesterday was left to Roland Schoeman and Jessica Hardy - one to be expected, the other a total shocker.
Schoeman won the 50 butterfly and broke the world record he set just a day earlier in the semifinals. He held off American Ian Crocker in a furious dash from one end of the pool to the other, touching in 22.96.
Crocker claimed the silver in the non-Olympic event, followed by Sergiy Breus of Ukraine.
Hardy, an 18-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., got off the block quicker than anyone in the 100 breaststroke and never faltered down the stretch, posting a time of 1 minute, 6.20 seconds. That broke the record of 1:06.37 set two years ago by Australia’s Leisel Jones.
In the women’s water polo competition, Canada sent the home crowd into a frenzy and the United States stayed on track for another world championship.
Cheered on by 5,000 fans packing the temporary venue in Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Canadians rallied for an 8-6 overtime victory against Greece in the quarterfinals. The U.S., which won the 2003 title in Barcelona, moved into the semifinals by beating Australia, 8-5.
Canada will meet Hungary in tomorrow’s semifinals, while the U.S. faces Russia.

Phelps wins one, loses one badly

original link

Michael Phelps failed to advance past the preliminaries in his first event (the 400 freestyle) at the World Swimming Championships but later led off a dominating U.S. win in the 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday in Montreal.

Phelps, Neil Walker, Nate Dusing and Jason Lezak set a meet record with a time of 3 minutes, 13.77 seconds. Earlier, Phelps finished 18th overall in the 400 free. Australian Grant Hackett won in 3 minutes, 42.91 seconds.

Other winners on the first night of swimming: Australia in the women’s 400 free relay and France’s Laure Manaudou in the women’s 400 free.

Duel in pool: Phelps vs. Hackett begins again

original link

MONTREAL - One week into the world championships, it’s finally time to go swimming.

And what a way to get things started Sunday: Michael Phelps vs. Grant Hackett, a showdown at 400 meters that has Phelps in the unusual role of underdog.

Phelps, who won six golds and eight medals overall at the Athens Olympics, wanted to take his remarkable repertoire in a new direction at these championships. So he set his sights on the 400 freestyle — one of the Australian star’s signature events.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Phelps said. “It’s going to be a fun race, exciting.”

With world record holder Ian Thorpe sitting out the worlds and Phelps a relative neophyte in the 400 free, Hackett is a clear favorite to win at this distance.

His entry time is nearly three seconds faster than anyone else in the field — and almost 4½ seconds ahead of Phelps. But the 20-year-old American is eager to see how he stacks up against Hackett.

“Hackett has been very dominant in the middle distance freestyle events the past few years,” Phelps said. “It’s my job to step up and try to race him, go after it and see what happens. That’s one of the races I’m really looking forward to. Hopefully, we can get the ball rolling for the U.S.”

Three other swimming finals will be held Sunday night — the women’s 400 free, along with the 400 free relays for both men and women.

Eighteen-year-old Laure Manaudou of France is a huge favorite in the 400 free, looking to add to the gold medal she won in Athens last summer.

As for the relays, the Australian women look unbeatable. Jodie Henry, Alice Mills and Libby Lenton have three of the four fastest 100 times in history and should be able to hold off their biggest rivals, Natalie Coughlin and the Americans.

The U.S. men don’t face such daunting opposition in their relay.

• July 12 - 18
Hugs for Tiger, beauty in the pool, joy and sorrow at Le Tour.
The South Africans, who won gold in Athens with a world-record performance, decided not to enter the world championships because their team hasn’t been close to matching the form it showed last summer. Instead of an embarrassing letdown, they decided to let Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman compete for individual medals.

The Netherlands comes into the championships with the top entry time, just ahead of the Americans, but the Dutch don’t have their best swimmer. World record holder Pieter van den Hoogenband is skipping Montreal to recover from a hernia operation.

Phelps will lead the American team, which settled for bronze in Athens. The Aussies hope to bounce back from a dismal sixth-place showing at the Olympics, but they’ll have to do it without Thorpe swimming the anchor leg.

In lieu of another Phelps-Thorpe showdown, Hackett is stepping up to fill the void. The Aussie even added the 200 free to his already busy schedule, giving him a chance to go head-to-head with Phelps in two races.

“I’m used to racing the best,” Hackett said. “I’ve had to race Ian Thorpe over the last eight, nine years now, and we had many close battles. It’s a great challenge to be racing Michael. It’s something I look forward to.”

The Aussie has finished second in the 400 free at the last three world championships — each time losing to Thorpe. With his countryman out of the way, Hackett feels nothing can stop him from winning this year, not even the best swimmer in the world.

Phelps gave up two certain victories at these championships. He’s so far ahead of the world in the 400 individual medley and the 200 butterfly that he decided not to swim those, wanting to challenge himself by entering the 100 and 400 free instead. He’s still expected to swim eight events, the same number as Athens.

“It would be easy for him to take on the events he’s expected to win, but he’s after the competition,” said Dave Salo, the U.S. men’s coach. “He’s not afraid to lose.”

Phelps had hoped for another chance to race the “Thorpedo,” but the Aussie star has been on an extended break since Athens. Among his pursuits outside the pool: lobbying on behalf of New York’s unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Olympics.

Look for Thorpe to return for the 2007 championships, which will be held in Melbourne, as a lead-in to the Beijing Olympics the following year.

“He has sort of been who people know,” Phelps said. “A lot of my friends know who he is. Everybody is sort of disappointed he’s not here.”

But Phelps is here, eager to build on his already staggering accomplishments.

Two years ago, he rose to prominence at the world championships in Barcelona, winning seven medals and becoming the only swimmer to set five individual world records at one meet. Then came Athens, where he tied the record for most medals at a single Olympics and just missed Mark Spitz’s 1972 mark of seven golds.

“He’s abandoned his super-duper events,” said Bob Bowman, Phelps’ longtime coach. “I have put him at somewhat of a disadvantage, because he’s swimming some events in which he’s hardly favored.

“Of course,” Bowman added, “everybody will still expect him to win.”

Phelps seeking new challenges

original link

Ian Thorpe won’t be there. But Michael Phelps will.

Without the rivalry, the World Swimming Championships in Montreal won’t have the straw that stirred up world-class waters at the Athens Olympics last summer.

There will be none of the prizefight-like hype that preceded Thorpe’s victory over third-place Phelps in the 200 freestyle, the so-called Race of the Century.

But Olympic rivalries have to start somewhere, and the restless Phelps is offering some intriguing possibilities next week at Montreal in the first major meet since Athens.

“This is an opportunity to get in the water and try some new things, set some things in place, show we know what event program we want to do for the Olympics,” Phelps said in a conference call from the U.S. training camp at the University of Maryland.

Phelps is abandoning at least two events - the 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley - in which he would have been a virtual lock to win. He holds the world record in each.

In addition to the 200 freestyle, he instead will attempt the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle for the first time in a major meet. That sets up a possible confrontation three years from now with Australia’s Thorpe. Thorpe won the 400 in Athens and took bronze in the 100, in his first Olympic attempt in the event.

Thorpe said in Athens that he intends to swim in the 2008 Beijing Games. He, along with several other 2004 Olympians, have decided to skip the World Championships.

But his Aussie teammate, Grant Hackett, will be able to provide an interesting scouting report on Phelps, an eight-time medalist in Athens. Hackett won’t be in the 100 freestyle, but he is among the favorites in the 200 and 400. In Athens, he won silver in the 400 and was fifth in the 200.

The Hackett-Phelps confrontations figure to be the best of the Montreal meet, which begins Sunday.

“I wanted to race Thorpe again in the 200,” said Phelps, who is a student at Michigan, where he trains for his former club coach from Baltimore, Bob Bowman. “I think it will be fun to race Hackett in the 400.”

Phelps is entered in at least seven events. He is the favorite in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. He won both in Athens. He also is ticketed for two freestyle relays - the 4×100 and 4×200.

If he beats fellow American Ian Crocker in the 100 butterfly or is the fastest American in the 100 freestyle, he also could wind up on the 400 medley relay. Another eight medals is a distinct possibility.

On the 4×200 freestyle relay, Phelps will be reunited with Klete Keller of Phoenix.

Keller held off Thorpe on the anchor leg of the 4×200 freestyle relay in Athens, giving the United States an upset of the favored Aussies in one of the most dramatic moments of the Olympics. Keller had been a student at Scottsdale Community College before he resumed training in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the World Championships trials.

Other swimmers with Arizona links in Montreal include:

• Nick Brunelli. The former Arizona State All-American, third in the U.S. Olympic trials last summer, will challenge teammate Jason Lezak in the 50 freestyle, which will be without Athens gold medalist Gary Hall Jr., a three-time Olympian from Phoenix who decided to skip Montreal.

• Emily Mason. The Scottsdale swimmer, an NCAA champion at Arizona last year, hopes to contend for a medal in the 200 butterfly.

• Whitney Myers. The versatile UA All-American could wind up with two medals - 200 individual medley and 4×200 freestyle relay.

• Roland Schoeman. The South African, who has been training in Tucson, could be the sprinter Lezak and Brunelli have to beat. He won silver in the 100 freestyle and bronze in the 50 in Athens.

• Ryk Neethling. The former UA distance swimmer, also a South African, proved he could sprint in Athens with a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle. But can he and Schoeman hold off Phelps?

Baltimore Bullet ready to fire at world titles

AMERICAN superstar Michael Phelps yesterday sent a warning to his rivals, including Australian Grant Hackett, declaring he expects to “swim fast” at the world championships.

The 20-year-old will return to the international stage with a new program after confirming his status as the world’s hottest swimmer with an eight-medal haul at last year’s Olympic Games.

Phelps returned from Athens with four individual gold – the 100m and 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m individual medley – a bronze in the 200m freestyle and three relay medals.

But this year the Baltimore Bullet has taken on a fresh challenge.

He had dropped two of his world record events, the 200m butterfly and 400m medley, and added two new events, the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle.

The new program means Phelps will go head-to-head with Hackett in two races – the 400m freestyle, on Sunday, and the 200m freestyle next week.

It was at the Barcelona world championships two years ago when Phelps became the first swimmer to break five individual world records.

Phelps rules out Beijing 1500m

original link

DISTANCE king Grant Hackett will be safe from a challenge from the acquisitive Michael Phelps in the 1500 metres freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, but he will be one of the few.

After winning a record eight medals at last year’s Olympics, the supremely versatile Phelps will turn his attention to a substantially different freestyle-dominated program at the Montreal world championships, which start on Monday (AEST).

And neither Phelps nor his coach Bob Bowman will rule out contesting any of those events in Beijing.

That means Phelps could bump heads with Ian Thorpe in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, in what would be the heavyweight contest of the next Olympics.

The Americans revealed they would use the Montreal championships as a guide to deciding which events they should target for the next three years.

Asked what events they would rule out definitely for Beijing, Bowman joked: “I am thinking about the 1500m - that should make some headlines in Australia.

“No, there will be no 50 (freestyle) and no 1500. I would say the breaststrokers of the world are safe, but everything else is fair game.”

The clashes between Hackett and Phelps in the 200m and 400m freestyle in Montreal shape as the feature events of the week.

But Phelps said he would not commit to a freestyle-based schedule for the long term until he had experienced it in Montreal.

“This is an opportunity to get in the water and try some new things, and set some things in place so we know what event program we want to do for the Olympics,” he said.

Bowman said he would learn a lot about Phelps’ potential in the freestyle events from his performances next week.

“I really feel like this meet is going to give us a true picture of where Michael is fitness-wise, because you don’t get many opportunities to try that many events. Then I can make a decision on how to move forward.”

Phelps has not contested the 100m or the 400m freestyle at a major championship before but is not lacking in confidence for either event. He is far less experienced over 400m than Hackett, the second-fastest man in history over the distance, but that does not daunt the 20-year-old American.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said of their first-night showdown. “It’s going to be a fun race. It’s going to be exciting. I am as prepared as I can be right now. I am going to try to race as well as I can, but Grant is a very good competitor, a very challenging competitor.”

Phelps confessed that one of the reasons he had taken on the freestyle program this year was for the opportunity to race Thorpe, but that ambition was stymied when Thorpe elected not to compete.

“I wanted to race Thorpe in the 200, and I think it will be fun to race Hackett in the 400,” he said.

He said everyone was disappointed that Thorpe was not there, but he understood that the Australian had his reasons.

Phelps adds to his events

original link

Olympian Michael Phelps will compete in two freestyle races in the World Swimming Championships, looking to expand his skills before the 2008 Olympic Games.

Michael Phelps is in college. He has been experimenting. On Sunday, he will show the world what he has learned.

Phelps, the United States’ most celebrated athlete of the 2004 Athens Games, will hope to make an international splash in the 100- and 400-meter freestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Montreal. Phelps is not a traditional freestyle swimmer and has never competed internationally in the 100 free.

‘’I'm looking forward to being able to swim new events that I’m not used to swimming in world events,'’ said Phelps, a student at the University of Michigan.

The change in Phelps’ international regiment offers a sensational match-up against Australian Grant Hackett. Hackett enters the world championships trying to become the first swimmer in a world championship or Olympics to win four gold medals in four individual freestyle events: 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 free. Entering Montreal, Hackett is three seconds faster than Phelps in the 400. The meet runs through July 31.

Whether Phelps is planning to change his international regiment for the 2008 Beijing Games or whether the young phenom is simply adding a little spice to the swimming world is still unclear. To make room for the 100 and 400 free, Phelps dropped two of his strongest events, the 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley. In a teleconference Tuesday, Phelps referred to the world championships as a ‘’baby step'’ on the road to Beijing. He made it clear that nothing is “set in stone.'’

‘’Obviously, I’ve never done this, so it keeps it exciting,'’ Phelps said.

“I want to try new things and have everything set in stone by Beijing.'’

This will be Phelps’ first major international competition since winning more individual medals than any American in one single Olympic Games.

‘’I really feel like this meet will give a true picture of where Mike is fitness wise and where he stands since Athens,'’ said Bob Bowman, Phelps’ coach. “Then we can move forward. This is the first step in preparing for Beijing.'’

This will be Phelps’ third world championships. He competed in the 2001 and 2003 and has won seven medals (five gold and two silver).

Though Phelps hasn’t competed internationally since Athens, the Baltimore native has been quite busy. The highlights include judging the Ms. United States Pageant, appearing on the sidelines during the Super Bowl and a parade through Baltimore.

Phelps has also been the subject of a documentary, which chronicles the everyday life of the international superstar, and the subject of several racy Speedo advertisements.

‘’A year ago I wouldn’t even think my life would be like this,'’ Phelps said. “I’ve had a lot of ups and down. The ups have been really high, and the downs have been really low. But it has been life.'’

The low Phelps referred to was his November DUI arrest. Phelps has attributed the incident to post-Olympic Games depression.

‘’Things can happen in a blink of an eye,'’ Phelps said. “My head wasn’t on straight. It is something I can learn a lot from and something I can pass on to others.'’

More than anything, Phelps says moving away from home and into his Ann Arbor, Mich., town house has helped in the maturing process. He trains with the Wolverine swimming team but does not compete becausehe is a professional athlete.

‘’I have to cook and clean and go the grocery store myself,'’ Phelps said.

Living alone should play to Phelps’ personality. After all, he is a swimmer. He returns to his true comfort zone Sunday.