Video is courtesy of USA Swimming.
Reported by Robert Gibbs.
MEN’S 200 IM – FINALS
In a showdown of last year’s world champ and world rankings leader, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte went head-to-head for yet another time in their storied careers. Lochte jumped out to an early lead, but things were nearly tied by the 150-mark. At the end, though, it was Phelps who got to the wall first from the middle of the pool, going 1:58.00. Lochte, swimming in an outside lane, was 1:58.43 to take silver in one of the weekend’s most memorable races.
Phelps competes for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club but now trains in Arizona with the Arizona State Sun Devils, while Lochte has moved from Florida to SwimMAC in Carolina as both legendary athletes continue dominating into their 30s.
Those two were well ahead of the field, with Cal’s Josh Prenot taking third in 1:59.94. Prenot was himself a second ahead of the next-best competitor, Scotland’s Dan Wallace (2:00.90). Wallace was the first of three Gator Swim Club swimmers to finish in succession: Eduardo Solaeche was 2:02.18 for 5th and Nikita Denisyako 2:03.58 for 6th.
Swimming in his second A final of the night, Cal freshman Andrew Seliskar was 2:03.92 to take 7th, and Wisconsin alum Michael Weiss went 2:04.59 for 8th.
Another North Baltimore/Arizona State athlete, Chase Kalisz, won the B final, going 2:01.05.
Lotche looks overweight…..
Maybe I’m wrong, but off the wall at the 25 meter mark looked like he was surging and had put the nail in the coffin seemed he slowed just a bit to prepare for the timing of when to start the butterfly kick.
Here’s a video of it.
http://youtu.be/wYtdyCUDloY
Interesting finish by Phelps. He certainly has a strong dolphin kick. I’d question the legality since they wouldn’t let lochte do his upside down turn in an IM. I’d be surprised if they let Phelps do a dolphin kick during the free leg. The rulings will be interesting. He also said Michael Finn? did this recently.. I’ll look for that video. The only problem with the dolphin finish is that you can’t breathe. wow!
The rule says you can’t swim any of the other three strokes during the freestyle leg of a medley (IM or relay). Lochte kicking out on his back is illegal in the IM because the only rule of backstroke is that you have to be swimming on your back. So, by kicking out on his back, Lochte is technically doing “backstroke.” Phelps, on the other hand, is not doing any of the other three strokes (back, fly, or breast) when he combines the crawl stroke with the dolphin kick, so there shouldn’t be anything illegal about it.
Michael Klim. He was a sprint free/flyer from Australia from the 2000 olympics. I believe he was the former world record holder for a brief time during that olympics in the 100 free. You can go back and watch footage on YouTube from the 1999 world championships in the 50 free and watch Klim do his dolphin kicks from an underwater perspective.
Like Phelps, Klim was a great flyer, so that technique may be beneficial to a very limited set of sprinters: great at free and fly and with huge lungs.
The interview about his new ending states that the last part of the race he is doing dolphin kick, not flutter. A close look at the video shows that what he says is true. Intriguiing new finishing technique! Makes sense. It would be great to see some underwater footage too.