PHELPS TESTS HIMSELF WITH 200 IM WIN IN CHARLOTTE
May 17: Michael Phelps has finished Charlotte UltraSwim Meet with a final-day victory in the 200m individual medley over cancer survivor and fellow Beijing Olympian Eric Shanteau at Mecklenburg Aquatic Centre and admits his training isn't where it should be.
"I wanted to separate myself from Eric in that first 100m," said Phelps.
"This weekend gives me motivation, more than anything. I'll be the first to admit my training isn't where it should be."
Phelps build a lead over Shanteau in the first 50m he would not surrender as he stopped the clock in 1 minute, 58.35 seconds.
Shanteau touched next in 1:59.90, while Todd Patrick -- who trains with Phelps at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club -- finished third in 2:01.80.
During an interview on the Universal Sports broadcast, Phelps said: "That hurt bad. I knew I had to push it going out a little bit in the first 100 to try to get some distance [on Shanteau]."
Shanteau produced one of the great performances in sport in 2008, contesting the 200m breaststroke (where he finished 10th) after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Her delayed the surgery, contested the Olympics and is now a hero to many cancer sufferers he visits on a regular basis.
Phelps won a pair of events -- the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly -- Friday night, and then finished second to rising star Nicholas Thoman in Saturday's 100m backstroke.
Thoman, who trains with SwimMAC, a local Charlotte swimming club, upstaged Phelps and a star-studded American field to win the men's 100-metre backstroke.
Thoman touched in 53.70 seconds while Phelps finished in 53.92. Olympian Matt Grevers was third in 54.50, and world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol was a distant fifth in 54.68.
"Winning here, winning with the home crowd, was really fun," said Thoman.
Beating Phelps, the 14-time Olympic medalist, made it even more special.
"(Beating) Phelps wasn't the big picture, the big picture was getting a best time," said Thoman, who had set the world record in the 100 back short-course last year.
"I was just trying to chip away at my best time. My goals are best times, suited or unsuited, and it's another in-season best, so I'm excited."
Phelps had won the men's 100-metre butterfly on Friday. He was scratched from the men's 50-metre freestyle after finishing ninth in the preliminaries Saturday.
Phelps blamed conditioning for his poor showing Saturday.
"I can't really be disappointed," Phelps said. "There's some conditioning I need to fix, but hopefully by the end of the year I'll be where I want to be."
Phelps now travels to Colorado Springs for a month of altitude training. (Universal Sports, AP and AFP).