Phelps struggles in FINA/Arena World Cup

STOCKHOLM -- Michael Phelps had the strangest thought as he walked out to the starting blocks Tuesday for his third preliminary race at this FINA/Arena World Cup: He was performing so poorly, it was possible that he might not advance to the meet's finals, something he hadn't done in more than 10 years.

Three months after winning five gold medals at the world championships in Rome, Phelps, 24, found himself in the midst of the worst morning of his professional swimming career, and he didn't care to see his entire workday end at just past noon.

"Coming into the individual medley [heats], I'm thinking, 'I'm 0 for 2; let's see if I go 0 for 3 today,' " Phelps said later.

Phelps did not, to his relief and that of organizers who sold tickets to the night session assuming Phelps would be stepping onto the starting blocks a few times. After finishing 16th in the heats of the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.77 seconds and getting disqualified in the 100 backstroke (where his time of 52.47, even if allowed, would have ranked only 15th), Phelps sneaked into the final of the 100 individual medley final with a seventh place.

And then, Tuesday evening, competing out of Lane 1, he earned himself a bronze medal with his finish in 52.14.

Even that performance at the Eriksdalsbadet swim center was not up to the standard of the most accomplished swimmer in the sport's history, an athlete who rarely finishes second in any event.

"Michael has had so many meets where he was unbelievably good in everything he swam; it was like magic," said Bob Bowman, his longtime coach. "He needs to have a meet where everything goes wrong, and deal with it."

Tuesday offered that unpleasant opportunity. Phelps couldn't think of a more awful swimming experience, except perhaps his first U.S. senior nationals in 1999, when as a trembling 14-year-old he was so awed about the caliber of competition he did not qualify for any finals.

He blamed his performance on not being sufficiently fit and failing to adapt to the increased number of turns in short-course meters (25-meter pools instead of 50), events in which he has rarely competed. Bowman acknowledged that Phelps's choice of swimwear -- he wore a textile, waist-to-knee "jammer" rather than a long, high-tech model that will be banned as of Jan. 1 -- likely contributed. U.S. officials who declined to be identified because they did not wish to appear to be poor sports said it was the suit choice, period, that slowed Phelps.

"I know I'm not in the best shape," Phelps told Swedish television immediately after the race. "I should be in better shape. I'm happy I could get a second swim. The first two races this morning were a little quick."

Phelps said a month ago he wanted to make a statement by ditching his high-tech suit even before the ban went into effect -- though this was probably not exactly the statement he had in mind. He and two other top-ranked men lined up for the 100 free heats wearing jammers, and all posted abysmal times.

Phelps's 47.77 earned 16th; Frenchman Amaury Leveaux, the world-record holder in the event, finished 38th overall in 49.17. And France's Fabien Gilot, who had the second-fastest qualifying time, finished 56th in 50.08. In another stacked field in the 100 backstroke, Phelps was disqualified for swimming more than the allowable 15 meters underwater off the second turn.