Phelps fourth in 100-meter backstroke, looks to 100 free
Missy Franklin and Nathan Adrian obliged. Franklin captured the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 59.80 seconds in the YMCA Aquatic Center pool Friday night. Adrian edged Caeleb Dressel, 19, to win the 50 free in 21.7.
Franklin, a four-time gold medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London, holds the national record in the 100 back with a 58.33. She has struggled to get her time back under one minute.
“With Austin [Texas] being a [1]:00.03, there was such a prick in my side, like, ‘Oh, are you kidding?'?” Franklin said of the previous stop on the Arena Pro Swim Series in January. “To finally get under feels so good.
“Practices have been going so well, and I feel like I have been training faster than I have ever trained before. That wasn't translating to races, and that's why I was getting so frustrated.''
Adrian posted the second-fastest time in the world in 2016 by winning the 50 free in 21.7. Dressel finished in 22.06.
“It's a pretty short race, right?” said Adrian, the national record-holder and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. “You dive in, you swim and you try to finish. I nailed two of those three parts pretty good. The finish wasn't so hot. You're never upset to go 21.7.”
As for Phelps, the 22-time Olympic medalist, he was not discouraged after placing fourth in the 100 backstroke in 54.42. Ryan Murphy (53.47) won.
“It's one of the better 100 backs I have had in the last couple of years,” Phelps said. “I can't really complain that much. I raced it. I felt like I actually raced it. I would have liked to have hit the wall with a little bit more power, maybe take it one more stroke, but as a whole, it gives me a good idea of where things are.”
Phelps, 30, will compete in the 100 freestyle today, the final day of the meet — with his goal being “not to get pummeled by Nathan.” It will be Phelps' fourth and final event in Orlando as he continues preparations for a potential fifth Olympic berth this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
Phelps won the 100 butterfly Thursday and failed to qualify Friday morning for the 200 breaststroke final.
Chase Kalisz (Fallston) of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Maya DiRado, Yuliya Efimova and Conor Dwyer won their second gold medals of the meet. Kalisz (1:57.93) and DiRado (2:10.52) won in the 200 butterfly, Efimova (2:21.41) in the women's 200 breast and Dwyer (3:49.54) in the 400 free.
Other winners were Madison Kennedy (24.71) in the women's 50 free, Josh Prenot (2:09.50) in the 200 breast and Lotte Friis (4:09.63) in the 400 free. Elizabeth Beisel was fourth (2:12.18) in the 200 fly and seventh (2:34.63) in the 200 breast.