SWIMMING:RELIEF WAS etched all across Michael Phelps' face yesterday after the American won his first gold medal in Shanghai, one year to the day before he begins his final Olympics campaign.
Phelps, the most successful Olympian of all time, who won an unprecedented eight golds in Beijing in 2008, has said he will retire after the London Olympics which open on July 27th next year.
A bronze in the 100 metres freestyle relay and silver behind compatriot Ryan Lochte in the 200m freestyle, as well as recent defeats in the 200m butterfly – his signature event – in the lead-up to Shanghai had left the 26-year-old facing 12 months of gruelling preparation under coach Bob Bowman.
His victory in the 200m butterfly yesterday, however, at least indicated he has a base to build on on his way back to his best form.
“I’m happy, but this is just a small step for my next year and . . . I’m super happy with swimming faster than I did than last year . . . but I still want more and I want to be faster,” Phelps said.
“Being able to swing all these semis and finals, I haven’t been able to do this (physically) for a while.
“So (I’m) trying to see what I can do to get through a week like this, to see what kind of shape I need to be in is something we wanted to do coming in, and that’s something we are finding out.”
To top off victory, Phelps also qualified for today’s 200m individual medley final with Lochte, the 2009 world champion, after the pair swam the two fastest times.
Chinese teenager Sun Yang whipped the home crowd into a patriotic fervour as he controlled the 800m freestyle final from start to finish to win China’s third gold in the pool, and 13th overall in Shanghai. It was also just the second gold won by a Chinese man in swimming at the championships since their inception in 1973, though their women have claimed 29 world titles.
Italy’s Federica Pellegrini won the 200m freestyle to secure the 22-year-old an unprecedented double-double, having won the 200m and 400m freestyle at the same championships twice. The double had been achieved on four occasions, though Pellegrini is the first to do it twice.
“The gold medal shows I have consolidated my status in freestyle since (the Rome) world championships,” she said.
Brazil’s Felipe Franca Da Silva claimed their second gold, in the men’s 50m breaststroke.
Australia’s James Magnussen produced an incredible burst of speed over the second lap of the 100m freestyle to be the only man under 48 seconds in the semi-finals and qualify fastest for today’s blue riband final.
“I think this is a very important meet, because I will be dealing with the same people in the Olympics,” said the 20-year-old Magnussen, who is competing at his first world championships. “I am a confident swimmer. When I am confident, crazy things happen.”
