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Phelps Breaks Own Record
By Sara Hunninghake // USA Swimming // February 17, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md. / Club Wolverine) delivered the shock of the evening Saturday at the Missouri Grand Prix, breaking his own world record in the 200m butterfly. His time of 1:53.71 bested his own world record of 1:53.80, which he set on August 17, 2006, at the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships. This is the fifth time he has broken the 200m fly world record.
Phelps, who will swim this event next month at the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, led by four body-lengths at the 150-mark, which brought the packed crowd at the Mizzou Aquatic Center to its feet.
“I didn’t think I was going to break a record tonight,” said Phelps, who was sporting a goatee and a huge smile on his face after the race. “I could tell something good was happening when I heard the crowd yelling, but when I looked up at the clock I thought it said 1:56. When I took off my goggles and saw the time, you could tell that my reaction changed a little bit, and I basically went nuts. I definitely did not expect that tonight.
“I hope to go faster in a month from now, but I still have a few events I need to get ready for here. I’m pleased with the way it went right now, and I’m confident. A lot of our practice has been focused on underwater kicking, and I know that the more kicking I do, the faster I can go. And coming off the wall well when people are getting tired is a good weapon to have. We have wanted to work on it, and it’s starting to show now.”
Tamas Kerekjarto of Trojan was second (1:59.79) in the event, and Juan Veloz of Tucson Ford finished in third place (1:59.86).
Five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif. / Cal Aquatics) started off the evening with a solid swim in the 100m freestyle, clocking a 53.95 for the victory, more than two seconds faster than second-place finisher Amanda Weir of Swim Atlanta. Weir touched in 56.07, and Martina Moravcova of the Dallas Mustangs was third in 56.66.
Phelps stole the show in the men’s 200m fly, but UCLA Swimming’s Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) swam a best time in the women’s 200m fly, touching the wall first in 2:08.22. She led the entire race, finishing more than two-and-a-half seconds ahead of the rest of the field. In the race for second place, North Baltimore’s Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) touched the wall in 2:11.99, 16-hundredths ahead of Mary DeScenza (Naperville, Ill. / Athens Bulldog), who finished in 2:12.15. Both Vandenberg and DeScenza will compete in the 200m fly at the 2007 World Championships.
Both Hoff and DeScenza also notched individual victories on Saturday night, with Hoff winning the 400m free and DeScenza taking the title in the 200m backstroke. Hoff swam a 4:09.47 to win the 400m free, with Dallas Mustang’s Flavia Rigamonti finishing in second (4:13.56) and Kalyn Keller of Club Wolverine in third (4:14.18). In the 200m back, DeScenza touched the wall three-tenths ahead of second-place finisher Ariana Kukors of King (2:15.64). Cougar Aquatic Team’s Lauren English took third with a time of 2:17.40.
In other action, world-record holder Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif. / Longhorn) easily won the 200m back, outpacing the rest of the field with a time of 1:56.27. Longhorn teammate David Cromwell finished second in 2:01.72, and Brazil’s Thiago Pereira was third in 2:05.00.
Olympian Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich. / Club Wolverine) won the men’s 400m free – an event he’ll swim next month at the World Championships – with a time of 3:48.92. Vanderkaay was more than a half-second ahead of second-place finisher Ous Mellouli of Trojan, who touched the wall in 3:49.55. Jan Wolfgarten of Gator Swim Club was third in 3:54.86.
Great Britain Olympian Simon Burnett, who trains in Arizona with Tucson Ford, won the men’s 100m free in 49.66. NC State’s Cullen Jones was second in 50.14, and Auburn’s Jakob Andkjaer took third (50.16).
The 2007 Missouri Grand Prix continues Sunday with prelims and finals of the men’s and women’s 200m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 400m individual medley. Timed finals of the men’s and women’s 800m free relay will also be contested. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. (central standard time), and finals are at 5:30 p.m.
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