Phelps, Lochte shine in semis; Franklin fails to make final
OMAHA, Neb. — Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte did their part.
The longtime rivals are headed to another showdown at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.
Phelps and Lochte cruised through the semifinals of the 200-meter individual medley Thursday night, each of them winning their heats in dominating fashion.
“It means a lot,” Lochte said. “I’ve been racing him in this event since like 2003. He’s a tough competitor. I just love racing against him because it’s a challenge.”
Lochte was the top qualifier at 1 minute, 56.71 seconds, while Phelps took the second spot in 1:57.61. That means they’ll be right beside each other in the final, just as they’ve been so many times during their dazzling careers.
Phelps has already qualified for Rio in the 200 fly, but the most decorated athlete in Olympic history is eager to add two more individual races to his program. He’ll be a big favorite in the 100 fly, a race in which Lochte doesn’t figure to be a major threat.
This is their only real chance to race.
“Him and I have gone back and forth a number of times in this race,” Phelps said. “During the big meets, we have great races. ... We’re going to be out and probably step on the gas a little bit more than we have in the past, and you’ll have an exciting race.”
Missy Franklin, on the other hand, didn’t even advance to the final of the 100 freestyle.
Another big star from London struggled to an 11th-place showing in the semifinals, leaving her with only one individual race in Rio and just one more chance to bulk up her program: the 200 backstroke.
While Franklin is struggling, another Olympic gold medalist will get a chance to defend his title.
Nathan Adrian, the burly 27-year-old who won the 100 freestyle in London, used a powerful finishing kick to win in 47.72 seconds. Caeleb Dressel will also get to swim the downand-back sprint in Rio.
Anthony Ervin, the oldest swimmer at the trials, got off to a blistering start and led at the turn. The 35-year-old couldn’t hold on, fading to fourth in 48.54 while also touching behind Ryan Held (48.26).
But the top four are assured of spots on the team for the 4x100 free relay, meaning Ervin is headed to his third Olympics.
On the fifth night of the meet, Josh Prenot became the latest Olympic rookie to make the team, knocking off Kevin Cordes in the 200 breaststroke. Cordes had already won the 100 breast and was more than a second under world-record pace at the final turn of the longer race.
But Prenot surged past Cordes on the final lap to win in 2 minutes, 7.17 seconds, setting an American record.
Simone Manuel, who graduated from Fort Bend Austin and Stanford University, won her semifinal of the 100-meter freestyle in 53.64 seconds and qualified second overall for Friday night’s final.