INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 2. WITH a collective "oooh" from the IU Natatorium at IUPUI crowd to start off the race when Longhorn's Ian Crocker leaned ever so slightly at the start to garner a DSQ next to his name on the scoreboard, Club Wolverine's Michael Phelps still pulled ahead of Crocker over the final few meters in the men's 100 fly to touch out Crocker again in similar fashion as in the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Phelps clocked a championship-record time of 51.39, while Stanford's Ben Wildman-Tobriner finished second in 52.31. Phelps' teammate Davis Tarwater rounded out the top three with a 52.93.
Phelps set the previous meet-record time with a 51.51 at last year's USA Swimming National Championships held in Irvine, Calif.
Disqualifications have followed Crocker of late as he left early on the United States' 400 medley relay during prelims at the World Championships in Melbourne. Hopefully, he will be able to handle this disqualification with as much class as he handled the previous one that some people believe cost Phelps his chance at eight gold medals.
Crocker said shortly after the race that he reacted to a strobe light going off shortly before the start.
"As I was on the blocks, I was waiting for the start and there is always a flash," Crocker said. "I am in tune to react to that flash [but a strobe went off]. [The strobes] are something that are usually monitored at larger meets. It is a learning experience for myself and, hopefully, for USA Swimming. I have never had that happen to myself and never known it to happen to anyone else."
Click here to view event results PDF file.
