Phelps exceeds expectations in his return to competition

Michael Phelps couldn’t hear it because he had his iPhone earbuds tucked into his ears, but when he walked into the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center on Friday night for the 200-meter freestyle final, AC/DC’s “Back in Black” was blaring over the speakers.

Though perhaps a bit cliche, it was still a mildly clever choice by the organizers of the Charlotte UltraSwim. Phelps was, after all, officially back, returning to competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics. And he was wearing a black Speedo swimsuit. But in a way, he was also playing the role of the antihero, having just completed a three-month suspension after he was photographed with a marijuana bong. The Golden Boy image, somewhat appropriately, has been retired and replaced by someone with a bit more of an edge.

The dominant swimmer, however, hasn’t gone anywhere.

Phelps won both of his events Friday night, the 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly. But more impressive was how easily he won, and how fast he went doing it. His time in the 200 freestyle -- 1 minute 46.02 seconds -- was two seconds faster than he thought he might swim.

His 100-meter butterfly time, 51.72, was equally impressive considering he’s hardly worked on butterfly at all in the two months he’s been training and it came 20 minutes after his first final.

“I was really happy with today,” Phelps said.

Lastly, he clearly enjoyed the opportunity to answer boring swimming questions again. All the discussion of “youthful mistakes” and “inappropriate behavior” was, he hoped, now behind him. He didn’t even bother to deny it when a reporter asked him if he’d been a little nervous before the race.

“When I woke up from my nap, I felt kind of weird,” Phelps said. “I don’t know what it was. I think it was kind of weird this being my first final since Beijing. I feel like there are more cameras here tonight than I saw the whole time I was in Beijing. It didn’t matter how I felt, though. I was just excited to race. I still have that drive and that passion to race.”

Bob Bowman, Phelps’ coach, looked almost a little surprised when he saw the swimmer’s times. His 200-meter final time was only three seconds off the 1:42.96 he swam in Beijing, a somewhat jaw-dropping number considering Phelps didn’t shave before the race and was wearing an old Speedo without the latest technology.

“I’m very pleased,” Bowman said. “I think both of us are. . . . I’d say he’s well ahead of schedule. If he could drop a couple seconds off that this summer, I’d be really happy.”

Phelps’ pre-race routine, the one he’s done for nearly 10 years, began the way it always does. He wiped down his starting block with a towel. He stretched his right leg, then his left. He jiggled his triceps. He climbed onto the block, swung his arms across his body twice.

But as the entire building grew quiet, Phelps did something he hasn’t done before a race in years, and maybe ever. He laughed.

“There was a hole in the top part of my suit,” Phelps said. “I was just hoping it wasn’t going to rip when I bent down at the start.”

The suit didn’t rip, the 23-year-old managed to compose himself before diving into the water, and he didn’t seem bothered at all when he finished third in both his preliminary races. He has learned, over the years, when to turn it on and when to cruise.

In his 200 free final, he even switched to his new sprinting stroke for the last 15 meters, a movement that requires a straighter arm technique and a faster tempo.

“That was a little tiny preview for tomorrow,” Phelps said, referring to the 50-meter freestyle. “I said to Bob, maybe I’ll try that for the last 15 meters. That’s the new stroke. It wasn’t bad. I was able to accelerate into the finish.”

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kevin.vanvalkenburg @baltsun.com