Phelps happy to be out of spotlight

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

One year removed from an embarrassing suspension, Michael Phelps noticed a big change as he arrived for his first long-course meet of the year.

He didn’t see all those television satellite trucks parked outside the pool.

“There were a lot more live media feeds last year,” Phelps said Thursday, breaking into a smile as he met with a small group of reporters, nearly all of them based locally.

Indeed, the Charlotte UltraSwim will be a low-key start to his long-course season — a striking contrast to this same meet a year ago, when Phelps returned to the sport after a three-month suspension for a published photograph showing him using a marijuana pipe.

Phelps overcame the scandal, hanging on to most of his sponsors and getting his career back on track by winning five gold medals at the world championships in Rome last summer.

Now, he heads into a crucial year that will go a long way to determining what he does at his final Olympics in 2012.

“It’s a little over two years away,” said Phelps, who sported a scruffy beard. “This summer is a big, key, important part of the lead-up to London.”

He’s scheduled to swim five events in Charlotte: the 200-meter freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 200 individual medley and 50 free. All except the 50 free are legitimate possibilities for his Olympic program.

Phelps remained coy about how many events he might swim in London, though he’s pretty much made it clear he won’t attempt to duplicate his record eight gold medals in Beijing. But six events seems like a logical number, giving Phelps a chance to end his career with an even 20 golds.

He’s already the winningest Olympian ever with 14 gold medals, and he can take the record to a level that would be hard for anyone to reach.

“It won’t be eight events,” Phelps said. “That’s all I’ll say.”

His coach, Bob Bowman, provided some clues, however.

The 200 free is a “mainstay,” Bowman said, an event that sets him up to swim the relays and will surely be on the Olympic program.