Phelps, Franklin finish third at Santa Clara
Olympic legend Michael Phelps and 2012 London Olympic star Missy
Franklin each finished third Friday in the 200-meter freestyle in their
opening events at a US Pro Swim Series meet.
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Micheal Phelps of the US reacts following the Mens 200 m
Individual Medley heat at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre,
Gold Coast on August 24, 2014. The Pan Pac swimming
competition continues until August 24. AFP |
Phelps, an 18-time Olympic champion with 22 career Olympic medals in
the pool, was looking for some strong times to build confidence ahead of
high-altitude training in Colorado and the US championships in August.
He took third in the 200 in 1min 49.03 secs, trailing US winner
Connor Jaeger’s 1:48.66 and Russian runner-up Nikita Lobintsev on
1:48.86. That represents improvement for Phelps from last month at
Charlotte and his preliminary heat, though still ranks well off the
world top-10 pace in the event.
Phelps was second in the 200 last year at Santa Clara in 1:48.20.
After serving a six-month ban following a drunk driving incident last
September, Phelps was removed from the US squad competing at the world
champions in Russia in August.
But he figures to be keeping an eye on the times from Russia as he
competes for American crowns at San Antonio to see how he fares a year
ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Franklin, competing in her
first pro meet and first of any kind since the US college finals last
March, was third in the women’s 200 behind Netherlands star Femke
Heemskerk in 1:55.68 and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu in 1:56.88, Franklin
next in 1:57.02.
Franklin later finished eighth in the 50 backstroke in 29.33, well
behind the winning time of 27.51 from US veteran Natalie Coughlin.
The meet continues Saturday and Sunday, with Phelps down to swim
three events on the final day of the concluding event of the US series.
(AFP)
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