PHELPS WINS 200 FLY, SCHMITT SETS AR IN 200 FREE

OMAHA, Neb. – Michael Phelps qualified for his fourth Olympic event Thursday at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, winning the men’s 200m butterfly with a time of 1:53.65. It marked the fourth time in his career that he has qualified for the Olympics in this event.

Also having a stellar day 4 at the CenturyLink Center was Allison Schmitt, who set the American record in the women’s 200m freestyle in 1:54.40. Caitlin Leverenz capped the session with a win in the women’s 200m IM finals, touching in 2:10.22.

Men’s 200m Butterfly
In the men’s 200m fly, Phelps trailed Davis Tarwater through the first half of the race, then took the lead at the 150-meter mark and brought it home. His time was the fastest in the world this year.

“It’s not a good enough time to win a gold medal, but I think I’m OK with it,” Phelps said. “Going into the last wall, I didn’t want to have any close ones, so I tried to stay under as long as I could.

“Today was the best my stroke has felt throughout the whole meet, so in all I’m pleased, but I think I need to go faster if I want to win that at the Olympics.”

The 200 fly has become Phelps’s signature event. It was in this race that he first qualified for the Olympic Team at the age of 15 in 2000. He did not medal in Sydney, but has taken gold in the 200 fly at both the 2004 Games in Athens and the 2008 Games in Beijing. He also holds five world championship titles in the 200 in this event.

“This is my fourth Olympic Games in this event, so it’s special to me, special to my family and special to my mom,” Phelps said. “Our family has always been butterfliers, so this event has always been fairly special for us. I have a couple weeks to perfect some things that I’m going to need if I want to end with a good one.”

Finishing second behind Phelps was Tyler Clary, who made up ground on the field in the last 50 meters to touch in 1:55.12. Clary was not officially named to the Olympic Team, but will likely be added to the roster pending swimmers qualifying in multiple events.

“It’s a feeling you really have to experience to understand,” Clary said. “You work for years, and to make everything come together in a week, it’s the biggest endorphin rush you can experience.”

Women’s 200m Freestyle
The women’s 200m free belonged to Schmitt from the start of the race. She was out ahead of world-record pace at the first turn and only built her lead on the field with each lap, finishing more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Missy Franklin, who touched in 1:56.79.

Schmitt’s time was the fastest in the world this year.

“I knew it was going to be a tight field, so I was just going for it and trying to hold on,” Schmitt said. “I didn’t feel like I was on record-pace, but I could hear the crowd, and when I touched I saw the flames go off (at poolside). I was pretty excited before I even looked up and saw the time.”

Dana Vollmer was third in 1:57.47, followed by Lauren Perdue in 1:57.75. Shannon Vreeland and Alyssa Anderson were fifth and sixth in 1:57.90 and 1:58.40.

Franklin and Vollmer both qualified for the team earlier this week with wins in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly, respectively. Franklin will add the 200m free and 800m free relay to her event list, while Vollmer will add the 800m free relay.

With her fourth-place finish, Perdue was officially named to the Olympic team in the 800m free relay. Vreeland and Anderson may also be added to the roster pending swimmers qualifying in multiple events.

Women’s 200m IM
Caitlin Leverenz turned in an equally decisive win in the women’s 200m IM. Trailing Elizabeth Pelton after the backstroke leg, Leverenz overtook the field with a strong breaststroke and hammered her way home. World-record holder Ariana Kukors was second in 2:11.30.

“Typically people close on me in the freestyle, so I just put my head down and went for it,” Leverenz said.

The win secured a spot on the Olympic Team for Leverenz, who finished second in the 400m IM on the first night of finals. She will be swimming both events in London. While Kukors was not officially named to the team, she will likely be added to the roster pending swimmers qualifying in multiple events.

Semifinals
The top eight swimmers from tonight’s semifinals qualified to compete in tomorrow night’s finals.

The top seeds in Thursday’s semifinals were: Nathan Adrian in the men’s 100m free (48.33), Cammile Adams in the women’s 200m fly (2:09.07) and Clark Burckle in the men’s 200m breast (2:10.01). 

For more information about the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, including complete results, go to www.usaswimming.org/trials . Also, follow all the action from Trials on your mobile device with DeckPass Plus, available now for your iPad, iPhone or Android.