Michael Phelps wins 400 individual medley, 100 backstroke at Annapolis holiday meet

Phelps wins 2 more races at Annapolis holiday meet

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Michael Phelps picked up two more victories Saturday at the North Baltimore Aquatic Center’s Christmas Meet held at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Lejuene Hall, making him 4 of 4 for the weekend.

Phelps won the 400 individual medley and the 100 backstroke to add to his two victories on Friday. On Sunday, he plans to compete in the 100 freestyle and 200 butterfly.

After he’s finished off those events, the winner of 14 Olympic gold medals and holder of 34 world records says he has much bigger goals in mind in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London — though he’s not ready to say specifically what those goals are.

“For 13 years he has done everything I have asked him to,” said Bob Bowman, Phelps’ longtime coach. “He’s at a stage in his career where he can do pretty much whatever he wants to do (competitively). After you have won 14 gold medals and have 34 world records, I think that might be enough to have some say in what you want to do next.”

Phelps won the 400 IM with ease, clocking 3 minutes, 42.53 seconds, six seconds off his best time at the distance and almost 11 seconds ahead of NBAC teammate Drew Cosgarea.

After an hour’s rest, Phelps won the 100 backstroke in a close race, clocking a time of 46.73 seconds to edge out NBAC teammates Ben Hesen and Todd Patrick. In that race, he trailed Hesen at the midway point but outpaced him over the final 25 yards.

“He was happy with both races. His splits were really good in the (400 IM),” said Bowman, pointing out that Phelps’ time would have won last week’s short course nationals, which Phelps didn’t compete in.

Bowman said that Phelps now plans to compete in next weekend’s Duel in the Pool meet with the U.S. National team against a combined team from England, Italy and Germany. Phelps will then train for three weeks at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and after that, he plans to compete in a Grand Prix short course meet in California in January, a Grand Prix long course in Missouri in February, and the Maryland State Championships in Annapolis in March.

“My job is to keep throwing things at him that keep him interested,” Bowman said. “If he is going to swim, whatever he swims, I want him to swim at his top level. If he stays interested, the world is his oyster in terms of what he can accomplish.”

Phelps was also pleased with his performance Saturday.

“I wanted to go under (3:45 in the 400IM), so to be able to go (3:42) is good. In the backstroke and breaststroke I can improve a lot. And 46.7 is not bad (in the 100 backstroke),” Phelps said.

Asked if he would continue to swim the short course 400 IM in preparation for swimming the 400-meter IM, Phelps wouldn’t commit to competing in the race at all. The world record he set in the Olympics still stands, and that might be a reason Phelps is looking to other distances and strokes to keep his interest.

Phelps said friends and supporters have urged him to improve on his world record time, but he said he isn’t interested right now.

“(The 400IM) is the hardest race that I swim and the most painful. I was in a lot of pain today. To put your body through that. There is a much different training for it, and I have done that training since I was 11,” he said. “Now I want to take the opportunity to focus on other events where you train differently. There are some other things I would like to accomplish.”

This week, Bowman said, Phelps has concentrated on his races, but has also shown an excitement for swimming that is essential for him to be at his best.

“He has to have excitement to swim great. I am just glad to see him still interested … to see him out here having a good time,” Bowman said.