Phelps wins 100 butterfly, will go for 8 in Beijing
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OMAHA -- Michael Phelps gets another chance to go after Mark Spitz’s Olympic record in Beijing after locking up his eighth event by winning the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials here tonight.
He easily beat world record holder Ian Crocker with a time of 50.89 seconds, just a tad slower than Crocker’s 3-year-old mark of 50.40. Crocker finished today’s race in 51.62.
It was Phelps’ fifth individual win at these trials, and he will be on three relay teams in Beijing.
‘I knew about two, three strokes out, I wasn’t going to have the finish I wanted,’ Phelps said. ‘There are a few little things I can work on between now and the Olympics: being able to nail the finish and have better turns.’
He was, as always, the master of understatement.
‘As a whole, a pretty decent week,’ Phelps said. ‘This week turned out how I wanted to. I’m excited. At the Olympics, I think I’m going to be better than I was here.’
-- Lisa Dillman
