Phelps tops Lochte in 200 IM

Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb.

Michael Phelps 2, Ryan Lochte 1.

In their most stirring duel of the U.S. Olympic trials, Phelps and Lochte went stroke for stroke in the 200-meter individual medley Saturday night, the world’s two greatest swimmers never more than inches apart.

But Phelps led at every turn, and he really turned it on at the end to edge Lochte with a time of 1 minute, 54.84 seconds — nine-hundredths ahead of the runner-up and the fastest time in the world this year.

“It feels good to be back on that side, but I’m sure that’s not going to be the end of us going back and forth,” Phelps said. “I’m just happy to be able to have a good race like that, kind of fold it all together.”

For Phelps, it was an emphatic message on his 27th birthday that he intends to turn his last Olympics into another major medal haul. For Lochte, it was a gutsy performance coming just a half-hour after he won the grueling 200 backstroke.

“The best thing about swimming is racing and stepping up against the world’s best,” Lochte said, not looking all that tired before he returned for his third race of the night, the semifinals of the 100 butterfly.

Lochte finished third in his heat and set up one last race with Phelps today.

Phelps, the two-time defending Olympic champion in the 100 fly, advanced to the final with the another fastest time of 2012, powering away to win his heat in 51.35. Lochte tied for the sixth-fastest time in the semifinals (52.47), but this isn’t one of his specialties. He’d need to pull a big upset to earn another Olympic event.