By John Lohn
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 1. OF any event in the world, none is as much a slam dunk as the men's 200 butterfly. It's Michael Phelps' domain, plain and simple. And, it's been that way since 2001, when he won his first world championship. In the prelims of his pet discipline, Phelps cruised to the third-fastest qualifying time, clocking in at 1:55.85. His world record sits at 1:52.09.
The top seed for the semifinals was secured by Phelps' Club Wolverine teammate, Davis Tarwater. Leading five members of Wolverine into the semifinals, Tarwater clocked a personal-best time of 1:55.15, looking strong and easy throughout his four laps. He was followed in the second slot by Gil Stovall, a University of Georgia product who went 1:55.72.
Another Georgia athlete, Mark Dylla, picked up the fourth seed for the final, as he was timed in 1:57.06, just ahead of North Baltimore's Dan Madwed (1:57.95) and Bobby Bollier (1:57.99). The Michigan duo of Alex Vanderkaay (1:58.03) and Matt Patton (1:58.05) finished out the top eight heading into the semifinals.
Rounding out the field for the semifinals were Eddie Erazo (1:58.78), Pat Reams (1:59.15), Pat Cary (1:59.17), Curtis Dauw (1:59.68), Andrew Callahan (1:59.70), Tyler McGill (1:59.75), Robert Looney (1:59.81) and David Mosko (1:59.91).
Video Footage Removed Due to NBC Restrictions
Go to Swimming World's 2008 Olympics Landing Page for the most comprehensive coverage of the meet on the Internet.
