Michael Phelps won the men’s 200-meter butterfly Thursday night as the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in swimming started Day 4 in Omaha, Neb. The 16-time Olympic medalist was the first to touch the wall, doing so in a time of 1:53.65.
Michael Phelps Wins 200m Butterfly At 2012 Olympic Swimming Trials
Tyler Clary was second with a time of 1:55.12 and will represent Team USA in the event at the 2012 London Olympics.
Just missing out, by .67 of a second was Bobby Bollier.
The win by Phelps was hardly a surprise -- not only was he the pre-race favorite, but he’s already expected to take gold in London.
Phelps’s Olympic debut came in the 200m fly in the Sydney Games (he finished fifth), and since then he has dominated the event: As a 15-year-old, he set the world record in 2001, took first at the 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Championships and won the gold medal in both Athens and Beijing. Yes, he still owns the world record (1:51.51).
Phelps has already qualified for the London Games in the 200m free and 400m IM. He scratched the 100m back from his schedule but is still set to swim four more events: the 100m free (finals Friday night), 200m back (semis Friday night, finals Saturday), 200m IM (finals Saturday) and 100m fly (semis Saturday, finals Sunday).
Stay with our StoryStream for the latest from the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming in Omaha as Team USA is decided.
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