LONDON – Michael Phelps advanced with the fifth-fastest time in morning heats of the men's 200-meter butterfly Monday.
Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
Michael Phelps reacts after swimming a men's 200 butterfly heat to advance to the semifinals in the London Olympics on Monday. He had the fifth fastest time in prelims.
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His time of 1:55.53 qualified him for Monday's semifinals in one of his best events. Austria's Dinko Jukic posted the top time, 1:54.79, and American Tyler Clary was second, .17 seconds behind.
Phelps has won this event at every Olympics and world championships since 2001 except the 2005 worlds, in which he didn't swim it. He set the world record of 1:51.51 at the 2009 world championships.
Phelps' world championship time in 2011 was 1:53.34 and he won the Olympic trials in 1:53.65.
Japan's Takeshi Matsuda won bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games and at the 2009 worlds and silver at the 2011 worlds.Nick D'Arcy won the Australian swim championship in 1:54.71, third fastest time in the world this year.
In the women's 200 freestyle prelims, Missy "The Missile" Franklin qualified third in 1:57.62, setting herself up for a busy Monday night. She will swim her 200 free semifinal at 7:30 p.m. London time (2:30 p.m. ET) and then compete in the women's 100 backstroke final less than 20 minutes later.
"It's definitely going to be fun tonight," Franklin said. "I need to keep my energy up as much as possible and just do the best that I can do.
"It's going to be tough, for sure."
U.S. teammate Allison Schmitt was second in the 200 freestyle prelims in 1:57.33. Italy's Federica Pellegrini had the fastest time in 1:57.16.
Franklin, 17, is expected to win her first individual Olympic medal in the 100 back. She won bronze as a part of the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team Saturday night.
Franklin's Olympic program includes seven events, including the 200 back and the 100 free. The phenom from Denver is among the favorites in every event in which she's entered in these Olympics.
"Here, I haven't really been that nervous," she said. "I've been able to stay really relaxed and really confident."
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