Reuters: Sports News: Swimming: Phelps through to another semi

Reuters: Sports News Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Swimming: Phelps through to another semi Aug 2nd 2012, 12:31 Michael Phelps of the U.S. looks at his time after swimming to a first place finish in heat 6 of the men's 100m butterfly event during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre August 2, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Michael Dalder By Julian Linden LONDON | Thu Aug 2, 2012 8:31am EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, his powers seemingly diminishing by the day, provided a reminder of his incredible feats from Beijing when he beat his old rival Milorad Cavic at the London Olympics on Thursday. It was only a morning heat but the American showed why he remains the fiercest competitor in the pool when he stormed past Cavic on the last lap to book his place in the semi-finals of the men's 100 meters butterfly, his last individual event before he retires. "This is my last prelim swim ever so that was pretty fun to be able to do a pretty decent time in it," Phelps said. Phelps famously beat the Serbian by a fingernail in China four years ago to win the seventh of his eight gold medals and the pair remain on course to meet in Friday's final, as long as they get through Thursday night's semi-finals. But Phelps, bidding to win the event for the third time, has a new and tougher challenger this time. South Africa's Chad le Clos beat Phelps with a desperate late lunge to win the 200 butterfly final on Tuesday and qualified ahead of him in the 100. Missy Franklin, emerging as the new face of the powerful American swim team, stayed on course to add to her golden haul when she posted the fastest time in the heats of the women's 200 backstroke, her favorite event. The 17-year-old from Colorado has already won two gold medals in London and has a great chance of winning more after qualifying fastest ahead of her team mate Elizabeth Beisel and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder. "That was my last prelim swim. It's kind of sad to think of it like that," said Franklin. "There is a little bit of relief but I am going to miss this so much." Rebecca Adlington raised hopes of a British winner in the pool when she charged straight into Friday's final of the 800 freestyle. Adlington, who ended Britain's long drought in swimming by winning two gold medals in Beijing four years ago, stayed on course to defend her 800 title, topping the time sheets just ahead of her great rival, Denmark's Lotte Friis. "I'm going to give it my all in the final, it's all about who can get that finish," she told the BBC. Trinidad and Tobago's George Bovell set the early pace in the men's 50 freestyle sprint, winning his heat in 21.77 seconds. Cesar Cielo of Brazil, the defending champion and world record holder, was second fastest, touching the wall a fraction behind, but said he expected to go much faster. "It was enough to get through," he said. "I wasn't thinking of the podium, I was concentrated on qualifying." (Editing by Greg Stutchbury) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions