Phelps shows a need for speed in comeback

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Michael Phelps may be the greatest swimmer of all time but can he be a great sprinter?

That was the question being debated at the weekend as Phelps returned to the starting blocks for the first time since the Beijing Olympics at the Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix and offered a glimpse of what he might have in mind for the 2012 London Games.

While Phelps and his long-time coach Bob Bowman remain tight-lipped about their London master plan, it is likely to center on swimming's glamour event the 100 meters freestyle which seems to hold immense appeal for the 23-year-old American.

With 14 Olympic gold medals, including a single-Games record haul of eight in Beijing, Phelps's endurance and versatility have no equal in the pool.

His dominance has not yet extended to the sprints, however, and it is that challenge which will fuel his drive over three years of training.

"That's what makes him love it (the challenges)," said Bowman. "It's kind of hard to say let's break the 400 meters for the 10th time, he needed something new."

Of the five events Phelps swam in Charlotte only two, the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, were on his Beijing card and he posted impressive wins in both despite a tumultuous layoff that included a three-month suspension from USA Swimming after he was photographed inhaling from a pipe used for smoking marijuana.

For the rest of the meeting, however, Phelps was forced out of his comfort zone, swimming the 50 meters for the first time since he was a teenager while testing the waters in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

FINAL FRONTIER

Olympic 100 backstroke champion Aaron Peirsol believes the sprints represent the final frontier for Phelps, who has demonstrated throughout his spectacular career he is not afraid to boldly go where no swimmer has gone before.

"It's one of the last frontiers for him, so I hope he sticks with it," said Peirsol. "He doesn't like to lose."

However, losing may be something Phelps will have to get used to as he gets to grips with his new events and a straight-arm stroke that has been compared to Tiger Woods's swing overhaul.

Phelps had runner-up finishes in the 100 back and 100 free, both of which were riddled with flaws that left him frustrated but determined.

"It's these times when you come off a meet and you're upset about things, that's the best time to get back in the water and train and that's what I've always done," said Phelps, after tasting defeat in a final for the first time in nearly a year.

"The 100 is definitely an event I'd like to start swimming more often and be more of a competitor."

The sprinters are already casting a wary eye toward Phelps.

"I heard one big guy in the pool was trying straight-arm," joked France's 50 freestyle world-record holder Frederick Bousquet. "I am very flattered if he's trying to look like me.

"But the guy can call himself a sprinter, that's for sure. He's going to help us all go faster."

(Editing by Alison Wildey)