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Phelps Sparks American Title Wave
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"The 200 back-200 IM double is one of the hardest doubles," Phelps said, "if not the hardest. . . . That's an incredible day for him."
Lochte learned, both through trials and the preliminary heats here, that as difficult as it is to twice swim 200 all-out meters within 27 minutes -- involving all four disciplines and every possible muscle -- makes the body ache, the mind do flips.
"There's a physical part, but I've trained for it," he said. "I'm used to it. The biggest part for me is the psychological part."
That is the part Phelps has mastered. Though his program was laid out for the world four years ago, when he swam the exact same events in Athens, and then reinforced at the 2007 world championships, watching the way Phelps is able to focus and perform for each swim jars even elite athletes.
"I think I know how to conserve my energy," he said. He is measured when it's appropriate, aggressive when pushed. Following Friday's semifinal of the 100-meter butterfly, in which he qualified second fastest for Saturday's final, he has 15 swims done, two more remaining.
"The mental energy and emotional energy and physical energy it takes to go out there and get up every time, even for a prelim, you have to put in some kind of effort -- even Michael," said Katie Hoff, who grew up training at the same North Baltimore Aquatic Club that produced Phelps and tried to swim in six events here. "It's incredible to me. He's swimming even more than I swam, doing it in world record time and [winning] gold medals. It definitely gives me a lot more respect."
Soni gained a measure of respect, too, and helped right a somewhat wayward meet for the American women with her victory in 2:20.22.
"It just kind of flowed," she said. "It just kind of happened."
That, by now, is what's transpiring for Phelps. He was more than half a second under world record pace after the first 50 meters of the 200 IM, which combines all four strokes. He separated himself from Cseh in the third leg, the breaststroke. He touched in 1:54.23, more than two seconds ahead of Cseh.
And gliding in, just a hundredth of a second behind Cseh for bronze, came Lochte. For once at this meet, someone had a bigger day than Phelps. "I'm just happy," Lochte said. There was no point in imagining what might happen for others without Phelps. Lochte won gold anyway.
