Publications
Partners
Omaha - Two-time defending Olympic champion Michael Phelps held off Ryan Lochte to win the 200m medley at the US swimming trials Saturday, setting up another duel in the London Games pool.
It was another thriller between 14-time Olympic gold medallist Phelps and the man who has emerged as his greatest rival.
Phelps, celebrating his 27th birthday, led by a narrow margin at every turn, but the two swam stroke-for-stroke on the final freestyle lap with Phelps gaining the victory in 1min 54.84sec.
World record-holder Lochte was second in 1:54.93, showing no sign of fatigue half an hour after he secured a berth to defend the 200m backstroke gold he won in Beijing.
In the backstroke, Lochte shrugged off a sluggish start, powering off the last turn and overtaking Tyler Clary to win in 1:54.54. Clary was second in 1:54.88. Only Japan's Ryosuke Irie has gone faster than the two Americans this year.
Jessica Hardy, denied a Games berth in the 100m breaststroke in which she holds the world record, responded with a victory in the 100m freestyle in 53.96sec.
Teenager Missy Franklin continued to build her Olympic schedule, finishing second in 54.15 to add the event to the 200m free and 100m backstroke already on her London slate.
Franklin could yet add more events to her Olympic card after topping the times in the semi-finals of the 200m backstroke.
Natalie Coughlin's hopes of closing out an illustrious Olympic career with an individual race ended with a sixth-placed finish in the 100m free.
Coughlin, winner of the 100m backstroke at the past two Games, failed to qualify in that event or the 100m butterfly, but she likely will go to London as a potential relay swimmer with a chance to add to her total of 11 Olympic medals.
Beijing gold medallist Rebecca Soni won the 200m breaststroke in 2:21.13, improving on her own world-leading time of the season.
Displaying her patented late surge, Soni pulled away on the final lap to defeat Micah Lawrence, who seized the second London berth in 2:23.03.
"I'm always a little nervous to push it too soon," Soni said. "I felt great the first 100, nice and long.
"I know I've trained the hardest I can, so if I can hopefully bring home a gold, that would be amazing."
Amanda Beard was denied a trip to a fifth Olympics, finishing fifth in 2:26.42.
In semi-final action, Anthony Ervin, mounting a comeback at the age of 31 -- 12 years after sharing Olympic gold in Sydney with team-mate Gary Hall jnr -- led the way into the men's 50m free final with an impressive time of 21.71sec.
Nathan Adrian and Josh Schneider finished in a dead-heat for first place in the other semi-final in 21.81.
"Best time, that's all I can ask for," Ervin said.
Results of finals on Saturday on the sixth day of the US Olympic swimming trials:
Men
200m backstroke: 1. Ryan Lochte 1:54.54, 2. Tyler Clary 1:54.88, 3. Nick Thoman 1:57.06, 4. Ryan Murphy 1:57.39, 5. Jack Conger 1:58.97, 6. Rex Tullius 1:59.16, 7. Jacob Pebley 1:59.46, 8. David Russell 2:02.52
200m medley: 1. Michael Phelps 1:54.84, 2. Ryan Lochte 1:54.93, 3. Conor Dwyer 1:58.92, 4. Austin Surhoff 1:59.58, 5. Chase Kalisz 1:59.87, 6. Tyler Harris 2:00.73, 7. Cody Miller 2:00.90, 8. Kyle Whitaker 2:01.49
Women
200m breaststroke: 1. Rebecca Soni 2:21.13, 2. Micah Lawrence 2:23.03, 3. Andrea Kropp 2:24.82, 4. Laura Sogar 2:25.56, 5. Amanda Beard 2:26.42, 6. Breeja Larson 2:27.52, 7. Haley Spencer 2:27.82, 8. Caitlin Leverenz 2:28.54
100m freestyle: 1. Jessica Hardy 53.96, 2. Missy Franklin 54.15, 3. Allison Schmitt 54.30, 4. Lia Neal 54.33, 5. Amanda Weir 54.41, 6. Natalie Coughlin 54.44, 7. Dana Vollmer 54.61, 8. Madison Kennedy 54.83
Semi-finals
Men
50m freestyle
Qualifiers for final: 1. Anthony Ervin 21.74, 2. Nathan Adrian 21.81, 2. Josh Schneider 21.81, 4. Jimmy Feigen 21.89, 5. Cullen Jones 22.08, 6. Jason Schnur 22.11, 7. Matt Grevers 22.24, 8. Adam Small 22.25
100m butterfly
Qualifiers for final: 1. Michael Phelps 51.35, 2. Tyler McGill 51.88, 3. Tom Shields 51.89, 4. Davis Tarwater 51.95, 5. Tim Phillips 52.17, 6. Ryan Lochte 52.47, 6. Eugene Godsoe 52.47, 8. Giles Smith 52.52
Women
200m backstroke
Qualifiers for final: 1. Missy Franklin 2:07.91, 2. Elizabeth Beisel 2:08.41, 3. Elizabeth Pelton 2:08.71, 4. Bonnie Brandon 2:09.03, 5. Jillian Vitarius 2:11.96, 6. Kylie Stewart 2:12.07, 7. Teresa Crippen 2:12.21, 8. Kaitlyn Jones 2:12.37
