Michael Phelps, in one of his final tuneups before the U.S. Summer National Championships that begin in three weeks in San Antonio, raced a 100 free on Monday morning on the final day of the 2015 NBAC Mid-Summer Classic.
Swimming in the indoor pool at the Meadowbook Aquatic Club, which has Olympic-quality blocks but is only 6 lanes, Phelps swam a 50.80 in prelims. That’s his slowest time of the season so far, but is also the least-consequential race he’ll probably swim all year (he was still the top qualifier to finals by a second-and-a-half).
The race still drew a big crowd and a thrill for the fans, and will in all likelihood, this meet will be the last time that Phelps races at the Meadowbrook facility that he has called home for decades. After this summer’s U.S. National Championship meet, he will move to Arizona with head coach Bob Bowman and begin training at Arizona State University, where Bowman has been named the head coach.
Monday is the final day of the meet, and the 100 free prelims is Phelps’ only swim so far. The race comes the day after his fiancee Nicole Johnson celebrated her 30th birthday.
Below is a partial video of the swim, and the crowd watching it.
@MichaelPhelps lane 3 and my teammate Will Dougherty lane 6 racing in the 100 Free @SwimmingWorld @swimswamnews pic.twitter.com/bjZrYkCyDg
— Grayson Gilbert (@grayson_gilbert) July 13, 2015
The 2:29.96 200 breast by 15 year old Lara Bate of NBAC is an eye catcher in a low key non taper meet in a very old pool. She won by over 16 seconds so end of season will be interesting to see how competitive at Juniors or Nationals. Just aged up I believe.
Lara Bate is British and competed at British Summer Nationals instead of US Juniors – She went 2.26.55, edging out 14 year old Layla Black by .05
He threw down a 49.66 in the finals which considering he has no competition is a good swim.
I am disappoint!!! Es muy malo y despacio
Stunning news Braden.
Phelps just posted a pic from prelims of him on the starting blocks this am. I was hoping he raced in only a practice suit but he had a jammer on…..there were others in the heat with just a speedo on.
Seems like elite swimmers have to wear a jammer every time they race. don’t you think that takes away some of the ‘hype’ of shave and taper meet?
Not at all.
Back when I swam age group (I wasn’t elite by a long short, merely a bit above average), I wore an Aquablade brief in prelims and FSI jammers in finals.
As a current Masters swimmer, I only wear jammers at meets. I’ve got an in-season pair of jammers I wear (this year it has been the LZR Pro) and an elite pair of jammers (LZR Elite 2) for USMS Nationals. I do the full shave and taper for USMS Nationals, so that combined with the better suit makes a world of difference for me. Clearly I’m not anywhere remotely close to being an elite swimmer, but I imagine it would be a similar thought process for them.
Braden, good to inform us that today is the day after the birthday of his fiancee.
It could explain a lot of things if MP can’t even break 50 in final. 😆
If he swims the final of course.
I see what you did there, Bobo. LOL!
When I first saw the headline, I thought he had swam a 50.80 in the 100fly.
That would’ve been a WHOOOOOLE different kind of of headline, lol.