Phelps almost backs into a record

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was one part pool tsunami and one part celebration, and the man in second place hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be on the losing end.

Michael Phelps spoke about that day in Long Beach at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials when he watched Aaron Peirsol all but break dance on the lane line after winning the 200-meter backstroke against Phelps.

“I remember that clearly,” Phelps said Friday. “And I was not the happiest camper in the pool at that point. But he did what he did and that’s in the past.”

Well, sort of.

If Peirsol is the artist of the backstroke, Phelps dabbles at it only every so often, with almost no preparation. But Mr. Backstroke Lite nearly became the world-record holder in the 100 backstroke at the USA National Swimming Championships, coming within four-hundredths of a second of breaking Peirsol’s mark.

Phelps won in 53.01 seconds, the second-fastest time in history. Peirsol’s world record, 52.98, came at the world championships this year in Melbourne, Australia.

Ben Hesen, who finished third, pushed the first 50 meters and was under world-record pace. But Phelps came off the wall solidly and surged ahead with a strong underwater. He said later he looked up at the scoreboard at the halfway point and noted the fast pace.

The next time he glanced up, after the finish, he looked exuberant. “A little bit of shock and a little bit of why couldn’t I have had four more hundredths,” Phelps said. “To be so close to both backstrokes in this last week . . . really, I’ll take it.”

He admitted to going online earlier to see how Peirsol did in a meet in Paris, where he won the 200 backstroke Friday. Peirsol’s teammate Brendan Hansen spoke to Phelps after the 100 backstroke.

“Brendan said, ‘If you had broken that record, I don’t think Peirsol would have been too happy,’ ” Phelps said.

It was the second half of an impressive double for Phelps. Earlier in the night, he won the 200 freestyle in 1:44.98 to Club Wolverine teammate Peter Vanderkaay’s 1:45.45.

Breaking 1:45 in the 200 free and 54 seconds in the 100 backstroke helped Phelps win a bet with his coach Bob Bowman. Bowman said he would let Phelps skip today’s 200 individual medley and swim just the medley relay at night.

Winning the 100 breaststroke races were Hansen (59.59 seconds) and Rebecca Soni of Trojan Swim Club (1:07.06). Hansen, who complained about the air quality on the first night here, said coaches were coming up to thank him for the improvement at the Natatorium.

“After the night I talked to you guys, I was coughing all night,” Hansen said.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com