UniversalSports.com Daily Coverage, including webcasts
ROME, Italy, July 29. IT is his pet event, and the one he seemed the least pleased with at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Michael Phelps posted an amazing swim in the men's 200 fly to break the 1:52 barrier at the FINA World Championships.
Phelps clocked a swift time of 1:51.51 to lower his world record of 1:52.03 set in Beijing. Phelps swam with water in his goggles in Beijing during the 1:52 swim, and has called the 1:52 barrier unfinished business ever since.
"I tell you last night, I must have gotten 20 text messages saying I know you hate to lose," Phelps said. "I just kept that in mind coming into tonight. I told Bob [Bowman] I don't even care. I'm just going to go for it on the third 50. I've raced against Takeshi a bunch. We've had some really good battles. I'm really happy with the result."
Poland's Pawel Korzeniowski raced to silver with a strong time of 1:53.23, while Japan's Takeshi Matsuda touched just behind with a bronze-winning 1:53.32.
Brazil's Kaio Almeida (1:54.27), the United States' Tyler Clary (1:54.45), Austria's Dinko Jukic (1:55.08), South Africa's Sebastien Rousseau (1:55.43) and Great Britain's Michael Rock (1:55.43) also swam in the finale.