Phelps Tops Himself at Trials

He Breaks Own Record In the 400 IM

LONG BEACH, Calif., July 7 -- After four years of preparation, and his evolution from a gangly teenaged athlete to the most renowned swimmer of his generation, Michael Phelps became the first member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic swimming team on Wednesday, shattering a world record in the process, and taking another historic step toward the Games next month in Athens.

The 19-year-old, 6-foot-4 swimmer from Baltimore County electrified the crowd at the U.S. Olympic trials, streaking to victory in the evening final of the 400-meter individual medley in a time of 4 minutes 8.41 seconds, more than a half-second better than his old record of 4:09.09.

It was the fourth time in two years that Phelps has broken the world record in the event. It was also the first of six events in which he is entered at the trials.

Phelps, who lives with his mother in Rodgers Forge, Md., near Towson, is shooting to win seven gold medals in Athens, matching the 1972 feat of Mark Spitz at the Munich Games.

Sporting a new, short haircut, and wearing a gray and blue, knee-length suit, Phelps wore his headphones until just before the start, with Eminem's "Till I Collapse" pounding in his ears.

He led the race from the start, galloping through the butterfly leg of the race and closing in on a world record pace during the backstroke. Fueled by growing excitement of the crowd chanting "Go! Go!" with each stroke, he zoomed through the breaststroke and freestyle, finishing several lengths ahead of second-place finisher Erik Vendt, 23, of North Easton, Mass.

"He was so far ahead I don't think I pushed him at all," Vendt said.

"When the crowd's behind you, you can definitely tell something's going on," Phelps said immediately after the race. "I heard it coming off the wall from back to breaststroke, from there on I just tried to feed off the crowd."

U.S. Olympic men's team coach Eddie Reese, of the University of Texas, joked: "We'll have to review the tape to see if that's good enough to make the team," quickly adding, "That was awesome. That was a good way to start the meet. . . . We knew he was going to be good, and we want him to be real good."

Phelps's coach at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Bob Bowman, said: "I think he wanted to come out and have a good swim and know that we were sort of on the right track. There's a long way to go and there are a lot of races with a lot of good people in them. This is one. How many -- 15 more to go? I try not to count."

Phelps is scheduled to swim 17 times before the trials end next week.

The 400 individual medley is one of three events in which the powerful and versatile Phelps holds the world record.

It was the second time Phelps has made the Olympic team. He did so in 2000, at age 15, becoming the youngest male U.S. Olympian since 1932. He swam the 200-meter butterfly in Sydney, but finished fifth.

Then, he was green and dazzled, he said, "a little kid coming up in the swimming world," showing up for one race without his bathing suit tied.