Phelps Sets 400 Record

You had to appreciate Michael Phelps’ exquisite sense of timing. After all, the 17-year-old from Baltimore was on a nice little pace

He nearly had matching sets of world records within the first two hours to properly break in the first Duel in the Pool, featuring the United States versus Australia in a fast-paced dual swimming meet, easily won by the Americans, 196-74.

“It was a pretty good day,” he said. “A few things could have been better but I can’t complain.... I wanted to be the first man to break two world records in a day. Whatever I had left was left in the pool.”

The tone was set immediately with back-to-back American wins in the 400-meter men’s and women’s freestyle relays, but Phelps provided the electric moment in the fourth event, first taking out his world record in the 400-meter individual medley (4 minutes 10.73 seconds). “It felt really good, but I hurt a little bit,” said Phelps, who had set the old mark of 4:11.09 last August in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

And for his encore, only eight events later, he had bettered himself again, going 51.84 to surpass his American record in the 100-meter butterfly, missing Australian Michael Klim’s world record by three one-hundredths of a second.

Phelps had to shake his head and smile about his second near-miss of the world record in the 100 butterfly within days at Indianapolis. The other was Friday at nationals.

“First, it’s eight one-hundredths of a second [at nationals] and now it’s three, what’s it going to be next time?” Phelps said on the pool deck.

“We have one, maybe two more events, so we’ll see what happens.”

Even for Phelps, who has continued to surpass already lofty expectations, it was an impressive accomplishment for the prodigy, who broke his first world record in 2001 at 15 in the 200 butterfly. He won’t turn 18 until June 30.

His versatility and endurance were on vivid display Sunday. The 400 individual medley is punishing -- a lot like a swimming decathlon, and Phelps was able to come back, not a day later, but a few events later to set another record in another grueling discipline. He later added a third individual title in the 200 butterfly and a medley relay win.

“He’s in another world,” said Aaron Peirsol, who won the 200 backstroke and finished third in the 100 backstroke.

The U.S. women came from behind to win the first event, the 400 freestyle relay, on the strength of 30-year-old Jenny Thompson’s superb anchor leg.

The Americans won the first five events before the Australians were able to touch first. Matt Welsh upset Olympic champion Lenny Krayzelburg, winning the 100 backstroke in 53.89 seconds. Krayzelburg went 54.00 and Peirsol was third in 54.09.

“I’m not disappointed. I’m pretty happy,” said Peirsol, who edged Krayzelburg in the 200, 1:57.13 to 1:58.46.

Amanda Beard was a double winner in individual events. Beard, 21, who will be attempting to compete in her third consecutive Olympic Games, won the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.17, and easily outclassed the field in the 200, winning in 2:25.77. Australian Brooke Hanson was second in 2:30.44.

Among the other American winners: Natalie Coughlin in the 100 backstroke (1:00.74) and 100 butterfly (58.70), Kaitlin Sandeno in the 400 individual medley (4:41.89), Jason Lezak in the 50 freestyle (22.26) and Ed Moses in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.29).