MONTREAL - Michael Phelps' bid to win a record eight
gold medals at the World Swimming Championships ended at the
first hurdle Sunday when he surprisingly failed to advance past
the 400-meter freestyle qualifying heats.
In one of the biggest shocks in world championships history,
Phelps finished a distant seventh in his first swim, leaving a
large sun-kissed crowd and competitors stunned.
"It's not the way I wanted to start," said Phelps, who won an
unprecedented eight medals - including six gold - less than a
year ago at the Athens Olympics. "It's pretty disappointing. "I
was feeling pretty good in the warmup but in the race I just
didn't have it.
"It's not the way I wanted to start but I have move on and think
about my other races. I'm going to have to be ready from day
one. Obviously, I wasn't ready for this morning. I've got a
relay tonight. I've got to step up and hopefully be better than
this. I've got to put this behind me."
However, Phelps shook off any disappointment and later Sunday
evening by guiding the U.S. to the gold in the 400 meter
freestyle relay
That's a little bit better than this morning," Phelps said.
"That swim was definitely one step up from this morning. "I
really don't know what happened."
Perhaps the only person more shocked than Phelps was Australia's
Grant Hackett. Phelps' showdown with the big Aussie in the 400
final was expected to be the highlight of the meet, providing
an explosive start to the eight-day competition.
"Obviously I'm suprised," said Hackett, who easily won his heat,
taking the fastest time into the evening final. "The first 200
meters of my swim I was thinking about it, that's how big a
shock it was. I'm disappointed he won't be in the final."
The Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 400
individual medley and 200 butterfly, Phelps had dropped both
events and sure medals from his world championship to-do list in
favor of the 100 and 400 freestyles.
The 400 freestyle was always going to be the 20-year-old
American's biggest challenge here as he gunned for the goal of
Australian Ian Thorpe's record haul of six golds from the 2001
World Championships. But no one could have predicted such a
total collapse.
Overhauled in the final 50 meters by every swimmer except
Britain's David Carry, a spent Phelps touched the wall in 3
minutes, 50.53 seconds, nearly three seconds slower than his
best time this season and almost four seconds back of Hackett,
who clocked 3:44.63.
"I saw something coming but probably not that," said Phelps'
long-time coach Bob Bowman. "It surprised me but I don't think
you can write off a whole meet just because of a preliminary
swim. He has a good perspective, he didn't go back there and
start throwing things."
By the evening it was clear Phelps had forgotten his morning
flop and was focusing on his upcoming races over the next week.
Swimming the opening leg of the relay, Phelps shot out in a
useful 49.17 seconds, sending the U.S. on its way to a
championship and an American record of 3:13.77.
It marked the first time since 1997 that the U.S. has won the
event in a major international competition and now has its
sights set on reclaiming the world record as well.
In another opening day shook, Canada, which was not expected to
win any medals in the pool, took the silver in 3:16.44 while
pushing the Australians into third on 3:17.56.
Canada's swimmers received a huge ovation before even entering
the water, the four members of the team stepping onto the deck
wearing Montreal Canadien hockey jerseys.
Australia, however, added a second gold medal and a measure of
revenge blazing to victory in their 400 meter freestyle relay in
3:37.32 ahead of Germany and the U.S., adding the world title
to the Olympic gold they claimed in Athens.
French teenager Laure Manaudou also completed the Olympic-world
championship double winning the women's 400 meter freestyle.
The 16-year-old touched in a winning time of 4:06.44 ,followed
home by Japan's Ai Shibata in 4:06.74 and British teenager
Caitlin McLatchey in 4:07.25.
The championship also saw itsfirst world record on Sunday, with
South African Roland Schoeman setting a new mark of 23.01
seconds in the semifinals of 50 meter butterfly, trimming .29
seconds off the old record held by American Ian Crocker.