|
CHINA> Sports
![]() |
|
Phelps topped by Peirsol in backstroke
(China Daily/Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-18 15:29 CHARLOTTE -- World-record holder and two-time Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol handed Michael Phelps his first defeat in almost a year by winning the 100-meter backstroke at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Saturday.
Phelps will remember this one. "No matter who I'm racing, I hate to lose," he said. "Aaron and I have had a number of battles back and forth. ... That's the fun part about racing Aaron - you know he's always going be there. He's a racer, he's a competitor. He's someone I like to race." Phelps' last defeat in a final? Exactly 364 days ago, when Peirsol beat him in the 200 backstroke at Santa Clara, California during the run-up to the Olympics, according to USA Swimming. Phelps didn't swim the backstroke in Beijing - it didn't fit into the schedule that produced a record eight gold medals and made him the winningest Olympian ever. But he's changing things up as he looks ahead to this summer's world championships and the 2012 London Games. The 100 backstroke is one of his main targets.
"By no means is anybody giving anything to anybody," said Peirsol, who set a world record in the 100 back while winning his second straight Olympic gold in the event at Beijing. "I definitely wanted to win that race." Phelps is swimming five events in Charlotte - his first meet since Beijing - but only two were on his Olympic program. He won them both on Friday, the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. He swam the 50 free during Saturday's preliminaries and posted the eighth-fastest time, but that was merely a chance to test out the new straight-arm stroke he'll use in his final event, the 100 free on Sunday. Phelps scratched from the 50 final, which was won by world-record holder Frederick Bousquet of France. |
临武县| 德昌县| 三河市| 开化县| 曲阜市| 繁昌县| 青岛市| 沾益县| 平顶山市| 邵阳县| 淮南市| 石景山区| 柯坪县| 花垣县| 赤峰市| 宜宾市| 星子县| 怀柔区| 什邡市| 连江县| 彰化县| 荆州市| 宣武区| 洞口县| 深水埗区| 漯河市| 湟源县| 庐江县| 丹凤县| 扬中市| 仁寿县| 道真| 苍山县| 墨玉县| 四平市| 丹巴县| 和顺县| 绩溪县| 蒲江县| 墨竹工卡县| 巴塘县|