No fireworks from weary Phelps at grand prix

COLUMBUS, OHIO (Reuters) - A weary Michael Phelps began another weekend in his build up to the Beijing Olympics with a win at the Columbus Grand Prix on Friday but could not match the record-breaking achievements from around the world.

While at least 15 world records have been broken in recent meets across Europe and Australia, the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion hosting Phelps and several other American swimmers expected to be in Beijing generated only pedestrian results.

Phelps, exhausted from a heavy training regime, swam three finals in 52 minutes on Friday, posting a win in the 100 meter butterfly to go along with a second in the 200m freestyle and fourth in the 100m breaststroke.

"Decent breast, didn't really take out the freestyle like I wanted to and going into the butterfly my mentality was I wanted at least one win today," Phelps told reporters after clocking 51.90 in the butterfly. "I left just about everything I had in the pool for that race.

"We've been getting absolutely destroyed, in the weight room and the pool. I feel like a brick in the water.

"Our weights are going up a lot and I don't know the last time I did this much meters, 14,000 to 15,000 every day.

"I guess the faster I can swim like this the better off I will be at the end."

The end of the road for Phelps will be at the Beijing Olympics where he is expected to try to challenge Mark Spitz's record of seven Olympic gold medals at a single Games.

Phelps, who plans to test himself in six events over the three day meeting in Columbus, will use the competition to gauge his fitness as he battles his way back from a broken right wrist that caused him to miss training time in October.

The 22-year-old will swim both the 400 individual medley and 400 freestyle before closing on Sunday with the 100 freestyle.

He then heads to the U.S. Olympic training centre in Colorado Springs for 25 days of intense training at altitude.

"It's going to be eat, sleep and swim, that's all we're pretty much going to have time to do," said Phelps, winner of six gold medals at the Athens Olympics.

"When you're not locked down in the dungeon there are other things you can do but out there (Colorado Springs) it's that and that's it.

"But it's good for me, that's where I do my best training."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)