Michael Phelps qualifies 7th-fastest for 100 free final

Phelps the sprinter qualifies for 100 free final

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Michael Phelps has qualified seventh-fastest for the 100-meter freestyle final at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix.

Phelps was timed in 50.07 seconds in Sunday morning’s heats. That was 73-hundredths of a second slower than leading qualifier Brent Hayden of Canada, who clocked 49.34.

The 100 free is a new event that Phelps is adding to his schedule as he remakes himself into a sprinter in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Nathan Adrian was second-fastest in 49.85, followed by Ryan Lochte in 50 seconds.

Phelps and Lochte were set to swim the 100 backstroke preliminaries later.