Phelps wins 2nd gold at Pan Pacific C’ship
25 Aug 2014 4:28 AM IST
The second coming of Michael Phelps (in pic) gained momentum with another gold medal at the Pan Pacific championships on a night when US teenager Katie Ledecky set yet another world record.
The old and the new faces of world swimming delivered on expectations Saturday, with 29-year-old Phelps following up on his relay gold by winning his first individual title since returning to international competition following his retirement. The most decorated Olympian in history won the 100-meter butterfly in 51.29 seconds, edging long-time US teammate Ryan Lochte.
‘It definitely feels good to have that sort of confidence back to be able to do it in an individual event. What it does is really just guarantee me a spot on the world championships team next summer, that’s the biggest thing and most important thing,’ Phelps said.
In the next final, Ledecky won her fourth gold of the meet, lowering her world record in 400m freestyle to 3:58:37. She was under world-record splits for much of the race but slipped slightly behind the pace before powering home with a last lap of 29.30 seconds.
The old and the new faces of world swimming delivered on expectations Saturday, with 29-year-old Phelps following up on his relay gold by winning his first individual title since returning to international competition following his retirement. The most decorated Olympian in history won the 100-meter butterfly in 51.29 seconds, edging long-time US teammate Ryan Lochte.
‘It definitely feels good to have that sort of confidence back to be able to do it in an individual event. What it does is really just guarantee me a spot on the world championships team next summer, that’s the biggest thing and most important thing,’ Phelps said.
In the next final, Ledecky won her fourth gold of the meet, lowering her world record in 400m freestyle to 3:58:37. She was under world-record splits for much of the race but slipped slightly behind the pace before powering home with a last lap of 29.30 seconds.
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