Phelps ready to take on 100 freestyle
BEIJING (Reuters) - Michael Phelps looks set to incorporate the 100 meters freestyle in his program after becoming the third-fastest man in the event on Monday.
Phelps said after retaining his Olympic 400 individual medley title on Sunday that it would be the last time he would swim the event, though coach Bob Bowman wanted to talk about the idea.
Asked if Phelps would swap the 400 IM for the 100 freestyle, Bowman said on Monday: "I think he'll be swimming the 100 free, that's kind of been our plan for a while and it's hard to fit into the program when you're training for the 400."
Phelps swam the opening leg of Monday's 4x100 freestyle relay in 47.51 seconds, a time bettered only by Eamon Sullivan's 47.24 in the same race and the previous 47.50 world record of Frenchman Alain Bernard.
That launched the U.S. on the way to a title secured by a magnificent anchor leg by Jason Lezak, who overhauled Bernard in the lunge for the wall, and brought Phelps his second gold medal in his quest for an unprecedented eight in Beijing.
Phelps's program at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the 2007 world championships has comprised 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 butterfly and 200 and 400 individual medley, plus relays.
His one global foray in the individual 100 freestyle came at the 2005 world championships in Montreal, where he finished seventh in the final in 48.99.
(Additional reporting by Martin Petty)
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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