Phelps returns, wins two events

May 16, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sporting a goatee and an old-school swimsuit, Michael Phelps picked up right where he left off in Beijing.

Two races. Two wins.

The world’s greatest swimmer left everyone — and everything — in his wake Friday night at his first meet since a triumphant Olympics. That nine-month layoff? No problem. That embarrassing photo of him using a marijuana pipe? Time to let that one go, too.

None of it seemed to matter when Phelps dove in for two events less than an hour apart at the Charlotte UltraSwim. He started with a victory in the 200-meter freestyle and came right back to touch first in the 100 butterfly, both with times that easily broke the meet records he set three years ago.

Considering Phelps hadn’t bothered to shave down and he wore a 2004 model leg suit — a real antique in the fast-changing swimsuit world — it was clear the kickoff to this final stage of his career is starting way ahead of schedule.

“I was real excited,” Phelps said. “It didn’t matter how I felt, I was excited just to race. That’s the most important thing. I still have that drive and that passion to race.”

Does he ever.

Coach Bob Bowman, usually Phelps’ harshest critic, was downright giddy when he saw the times. He figured Phelps would be doing well to swim the 200 free in just under 1 minute, 48 seconds. He went nearly two seconds faster, even giving a little sample of the straight-arm, wind-milling stroke he plans to use in the shorter races as he surged toward the wall with a time of 1:46.02.

In the fly, Phelps swam the outward lap in 24.6 and made the return in 27.1 for a total time of 51.72. Doing some quick math on his worksheet, Bowman calculated that both laps were exactly 0.6 seconds faster than what Phelps did to win the gold medal in Beijing.

Clearly, he hasn’t lost that remarkable sense of timing.

“Mentally, he’s the best ever,” Bowman said. “We make a big deal about his physical [attributes], and it’s there. But it’s the way he approaches the race, the way his brain works in competition. That’s the way you would like every swimmer to think.”

Phelps won these same two events at Beijing, part of his record-breaking haul of eight gold medals. He became a cultural icon, doing everything from hosting “Saturday Night Live” to getting grilled on “The Colbert Report,” but his career ran into an unplanned hurdle when the infamous photo was published by a British tabloid in early February.

Even though no criminal charges were filed, USA Swimming gave Phelps a three-month suspension from competition. At first, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to return to the pool. But, after going into virtual seclusion for nearly a month, he had an epiphany one Sunday morning: Yes, he did want to keep swimming until the 2012 Olympics.