Swimming

Not even the most decorated Olympian of all time can keep up with a great white shark.

Michael Phelps helped kick off the 2017 edition of Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week on Sunday with a race against a shark in Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist finally met his match and lost the made-for-television race.

Shark Week shared the race between the two swimming machines:

The moment of glory for #TeamShark!!! #PhelpsVsShark #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/NWYp1CwiRa

— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) July 24, 2017

Ever the competitor, Phelps was itching for a rematch merely minutes after Sunday's show aired:

Rematch? Next time..warmer water. #SW30 @Discovery @SharkWeek

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) July 24, 2017

There was plenty of buildup for this event, and the scientists on Discovery Channel spent much of the time explaining how fast sharks truly are and demonstrated new wetsuits for Phelps to use.

There was also a demonstration of what a shark would look like in one of Phelps' Olympic races.

Discovery Channel shared some of the footage on its YouTube page:

While Phelps was focused on beating a shark in the race, he also got an up-close look at the animal's power in open water. Shark Week captured some of the notable moments:

We're about THREE MINUTES from the race. Get to @Discovery NOW for #PhelpsVsShark. #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/KDFcMK5qdx

— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) July 24, 2017

THAT'S A SHARK. SAW THAT ONE. #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/LwLxyPpirb

— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) July 24, 2017

Phelps will always have his many triumphs against human competitors to fall back on after Sunday's failure, and Yahoo Sports remembered a famous one against South Africa's Chad le Clos:

Let's do this. #PhelpsvsShark pic.twitter.com/pnBjCFB1is

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 24, 2017

It was unrealistic to expect Phelps to actually beat a great white shark or get in the water with the feared creature, but Gary Parrish of CBS Sports still reacted to the buildup and lack of an actual one-on-one race instead of a computer simulation:

Turns out “Michael Phelps races a shark” was really just “Michael Phelps swims alone and then compares his time to a shark’s time.”

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 24, 2017

Phelps will have to stick to racing humans...probably.

The United States continued its great start at the World Aquatics Championships as the women's team took home first place in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

The USA Swimming account celebrated the win:

American Record and gold for #TeamUSA in the women's 400m free relay to close out day one! #FINABudapest2017 pic.twitter.com/knRsI00Uoh

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) July 23, 2017

It was already the second gold medal of the day for Katie Ledecky, who also won the 400-meter freestyle earlier Sunday.

The superstar is aiming for six gold medals in Budapest, which would tie a record for the most at a single world championship.

She could reach this mark with ease if her past success in any indication. Gracenote Olympic noted just how good Ledecky has been in the biggest events in her career:

Katie Ledecky has won 16 of the 17 events she has entered at world championships and Olympic Games. #FINA2017Budapest

— Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) July 23, 2017

While Ledecky did her part, she actually had the slowest U.S. leg at 53.83 seconds. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports credited Mallory Comerford and Simone Manuel for their work at the start and end of the relay:

Wow, Simone Manuel CLOSES the 400 free relay, pulling out gold in final 10 meters. Mallory Comerford an American record on the leadoff leg.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) July 23, 2017

Manuel is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter freestyle, and she showcased her ability to pull away from the field on the final leg.

The team finished in a time of 3:31.72, just ahead of Australia's second-place run of 3:32.01. The Netherlands earned the bronze medal with a time of 3:32.64.

Sweden got everything it could out of star Sarah Sjostrom. She not only put her team in the lead on the opening leg, but she also set a world record in the process, per Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports:

Sarah Sjostrom shatters women's 100m freestyle world record by .35 leading off 4x100m free relay. A shame she's not swimming 200 free.

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 23, 2017

Her split of 51.71 seconds was easily the best of the day, but the country didn't have quite as much depth as the United States or other teams. Sweden finished behind Canada in fifth place.

However, this was a chance for the United States to celebrate its win after losing to Australia in this event during the Rio Olympics. Both Ledecky and Manuel were part of the finals squad that took silver, and Sunday's result allowed them to avenge their loss against Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon two years later.

Katie Ledecky won the 400-metre freestyle gold Sunday at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Ledecky set a new championships record of three minutes, 58.34 seconds as she stormed home.

Ledecky was fastest through the heats and continued her form in the final as she held off American Leah Smith with ease in Budapest, Hungary.

No one could match Ledecky's class, and she once again proved her magnificence in the discipline.

Per Fina.org, Ledecky is the only swimmer to win the event on three separate occasions at the championships.

Li Bingjie of China claimed the bronze behind Smith.

Seven-time Olympic medalist Dana Vollmer announced Thursday she's planning to compete in a USA Swimming Pro Series event in April while around six months pregnant.

The American swimmer confirmed the decision on Instagram:

The meet, which is part of the Arena Pro Swim Series, will take place in Mesa, Arizona, starting April 13, according to ESPN.com. She is expecting her second child in July.

Vollmer is one of the most decorated swimmers in American history with 16 overall medals from World Championship competition to go along with her Olympic success. She's also earned numerous other podium finishes in other events.

The 29-year-old New York native captured at least one medal in three of the past four Summer Games, dating back to Athens in 2004. She won three medals in Rio de Janeiro last year, including her fifth career gold as part of the 4x100-meter medley relay team.

She doesn't have any medals at the Olympic or World Championship level in the 50-meter freestyle, which is the discipline she'll compete in next month. But getting in the pool for a race will accomplish a goal of staying active during her pregnancy.

Vollmer told Kim Vandenberg of Excelle Sports she "really, really missed" the opportunity to train and compete while pregnant with her son, Arlen.

"It's not all about winning Olympic medals," she said. "Everyone tries to fit working out into their daily life and it might not always be at the Olympic level. I am not one who likes to go to the gym by myself. I need teammates, I need coaches. I know that about myself."

Vollmer also noted her sights are still set on qualifying for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, where she'd be making her fourth appearance as part of the American delegation.

The story of Michael Phelps, a fan in Kansas and a Facebook post: https://t.co/vPiVdgC0h3 pic.twitter.com/qWFqXJf4K7

— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) August 29, 2016

Austin Levingston's post on Michael Phelps' Facebook page has stirred significant attention from onlookers motivated by his message.

As Levingston, who has autism, wrote in the message, he is a college student and swimmer who bears a striking resemblance to the storied Olympian. Here's an excerpt from his post:

I know you may not care to read this but you are one of my biggest idols and I've been following you for a very long time. Right now, I am currently going to college and hoping to become the first person in my whole family to get a degree. I am also a swim competitor just like you and I'm hoping to swim in the Olympics just like you someday.

The likes and replies came flooding in from well-wishers bringing kindness to the comments section for a change. Per the Baltimore Sun's Jonas Shaffer, Levingston didn't anticipate the overwhelming response.

"When I first posted the comment, I never thought any of this was going to happen," Levingston said. "I never thought any of it was going to go as far it's come."

The Kansas native also described the impact swimming has had on his life.

"The sport gave me an amazing feeling that I have never felt before," Levingston said.

He doesn't know if Phelps saw his post, but it's likely only a matter of time before Phelps notices the national attention sparked by a man he inspired, who is now inspiring everyone else.

[Facebook, h/t Baltimore Sun]

Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky dominated the swimming events at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Cullen Jones sat down with Stephen Nelson to discuss their Olympic careers.

Drop a comment below to let us know what you think.

Michael Andrew is a 17-year-old swimming phenom known for breaking over 90 national age group records, the most in United States swimming history. He has also broken over five junior world records. Michael is not competing in the Rio Olympics, but he is certainly making a name for himself ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2020.

Andrew has been criticized for the way he trains and for turning pro at the age of 14. The "Ultra Short Race Pace Training" method (USRPT) could change the game in the sport of swimming, but a lot of its success hinges on the performance of Andrew, heaping more pressure on the young athlete.

Because USRPT doesn't require swimmers to be in the pool for extreme periods of time, it is encouraging a new generation of swimmers to join the sport.

While he's been called the next Michael Phelps by some in the swimming community, this young swimmer knows that Phelps is the greatest of all time and just wants to make his own mark on the sport.

Fact: Katie Ledecky is the second woman to ever win the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles in a single Olympic Games. (The first was Debbie Meyer in 1968.)

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

   

Source: B/R Insights

Michael Phelps was far from his Olympic best Thursday, but he was good enough. The 30-year-old finished fourth in Thursday's 200-meter medley at the 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals in Federal Way, Washington, qualifying for the final but leaving questions open about whether he can walk away with a win.

Michael Weiss won the heat with a time of 1:58.97, more than a second better than second-place Chase Kalisz. Eduardo Solaeche came in third place. Second through fifth place were decided by a smaller gap than first or second, as the 24-year-old Weiss pulled away down the stretch.

Phelps was the leader at the halfway mark but seemingly ran out of gas down the stretch. It's unclear whether he was winded or was just saving himself for his events the remainder of the weekend. Phelps is competing in the 100-meter butterfly Friday and 200-meter butterfly Saturday as he continues his preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.   

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Michael Weiss	1:58.97
2	Chase Kalisz	2:00.09
3	Eduardo Solaeche	2:00.62
4	Michael Phelps	2:00.75
5	David Nolan	2:00.94
6	Uvis Kalnins	2:01.06
7	Patrick Mulcare	2:01.58
8	Dan Wallace	2:02.18
9	Dylan Bosch	2:02.78
10	Mack Darragh	2:02.85

This is the first time Phelps has competed at the King County Aquatics Center in 15 years.

"I think back then it was different because I was racing with so many older guys and the thing that made me so hungry was wanting to beat every single one of them," Phelps said Wednesday, per Tim Booth of the Associated Press. "Now I'm the old man. ... I think the biggest thing now is I would like to not let the young bucks beat me. And I think where I am now I'm more focused on what I should be doing at this time of year or what I want to be doing at this time of year."

The energy throughout the heat was understandably high. Not only was Phelps returning after years away from King County, but he was also doing so after formally announcing the 2016 Olympic Games would be his last, per USA Swimming. 

The 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals are officially underway in Federal Way, Washington, with a number of top stars in action on Thursday to kick off the competition.

The 2016 Summer Olympics are rapidly approaching, with the opening ceremonies eight months away. This weekend's nationals are a great opportunity for those swimmers with dreams of competing in Rio de Janeiro.

This will also be a big stage on which to make an impression ahead of the U.S. Olympic Trials, which start in June.   

Below is a list of the top 10 finishers from Thursday's afternoon heats, with the finals scheduled for later on in the evening.

Thursday Heat Results

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Lindsay Vrooman	4:08.68
2	Allison Schmitt	4:09.20
3	Gillian Ryan	4:09.45
4	Haley Anderson	4:10.12
5	Sarah Henry	4:10.32
6	Elizabeth Beisel	4:11.02
7	Cierra Runge	4:11.71
8	Kennedy Goss	4:13.59
9	Vien Nguyen	4:13.65
10	Sam Cheverton	4:13.70

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Conor Dwyer	3:50.46
2	Michael McBroom	3:51.46
3	Ryan Feeley	3:51.80
4	Anton Oerskov Ipsen	3:52.25
5	Jordan Harrison	3:52.30
6	Ryan Cochrane	3:52.55
7	True Sweetser	3:52.77
8	Takeshi Matsuda	3:53.54
9	Matias Koski	3:53.71
10	Jeremy Bagshaw	3:53.74

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Caitlin Leverenz	2:13.30
2	Maya DiRado	2:13.78
3	Celina Li	2:13.94
4	Siobhan Haughey	2:14.04
5	Sarah Henry	2:14.17
6	Kathleen Baker	2:14.24
7	Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson	2:14.33
8	Stina Gardell	2:14.50
9	Meghan Small	2:14.58
10	Elizabeth Beisel	2:14.66

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Michael Weiss	1:58.97
2	Chase Kalisz	2:00.09
3	Eduardo Solaeche	2:00.62
4	Michael Phelps	2:00.75
5	David Nolan	2:00.94
6	Uvis Kalnins	2:01.06
7	Patrick Mulcare	2:01.58
8	Dan Wallace	2:02.18
9	Dylan Bosch	2:02.78
10	Mack Darragh	2:02.85

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Abbey Weitzeil	25.01
2	Simone Manuel	25.08
3	Ivy Martin	25.29
4	Liz Li	25.31
5	Natalie Coughlin	25.40
6	Farida Osman	25.43
7	Amanda Weir	25.46
8	Margo Geer	25.52
9	Madeline Locus	25.73
10	Lia Neal	25.76

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Josh Schneider	22.23
2	Brad Tandy	22.29
3	Nathan Adrian	22.29
4	Paul Powers	22.37
5	Geoff Cheah	22.39
6	Matt Grevers	22.43
7	Cullen Jones	22.49
8	Santo Condorelli	22.51
9	Kristian Gkolomeev	22.54
10	Vladimir Morozov	22.57

Thursday Afternoon Recap

Many eyes in Federal Way were on Michael Phelps, especially after the 18-time gold medalist confirmed Wednesday the 2016 Olympics would be his last, per USA Swimming:

Michael Phelps on retirement and Rio being his last Olympic Games #ATTNats pic.twitter.com/hoWkZwFeKm

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) December 2, 2015

Phelps qualified for the men's 200-meter medley final after finishing with the fourth-best time (two minutes, 0.75 seconds) during the preliminary heats. He swam well, even leading after 100 meters, but he clearly did just enough to get to the finals without expending all of his energy.

Whereas Phelps represents one generation of American swimming, his teammate Chase Kalisz is among those the U.S. hopes will carry the torch in Rio and beyond.

The 21-year-old finished a little over a second behind Michael Weiss during the 200-meter medley, posting a time of 2:00.09 seconds.

"Having Chase back from school has been good for me in workout," Phelps said of his relationship with Kalisz, per Swimming World Magazine. "I always look at him as a younger brother, and I don’t like when my younger brother beats me in workout."

After Kalisz bested Phelps in November's Arena Pro Swim Series in Minneapolis, Phelps will be itching to get the better of his workout partner Thursday night.

The women's 50-meter freestyle also featured a pair of Olympic medal-winners, Amanda Weir and Natalie Coughlin. Both advanced to the final, with Coughlin narrowly edging out Weir by 0.06 seconds in the fourth freestyle heat.

Nineteen-year-old Abbey Weitzeil, who entered Federal Way with quite a reputation already, laid down a marker in the women's 50 meters with the top time of 25.01 seconds.

Weitzeil opted against enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, until after the 2016 Olympics. That has allowed her to divert even more of her attention toward Rio, and the strategy looks to be paying off in a big way.

Thursday Final Results

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Allison Schmitt	4:06.88
2	Haley Anderson	4:08.38
3	Sarah Henry	4:08.86
4	Cierra Runge	4:08.93
5	Lindsay Vrooman	4:09.00
6	Elizabeth Beisel	4:10.21
7	Andreina Pinto	4:11.07
8	Hannah Moore	4:11.78
9	Emily Overholt	4:12.10
10	Sam Cheverton	4:12.81

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Conor Dwyer	3:48.11
2	Matias Koski	3:49.37
3	Ryan Cochrane	3:50.15
4	Michael McBroom	3:50.50
5	Takeshi Matsuda	3:51.86
6	Maxime Rooney	3:51.88
7	Jordan Harrison	3:51.99
8	True Sweetser	3:52.76
9	Anton Oerskov Ipsen	3:52.85
10	P.J. Ransford	3:53.92

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Maya DiRado	2:11.10
2	Caitlin Leverenz	2:11.79
3	Kathleen Baker	2:12.13
4	Sarah Henry	2:13.05
5	Siobhan Haughey	2:13.20
6	Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson	2:13.28
7	Stina Gardell	2:13.53
8	Ella Eastin	2:13.79
9	Elizabeth Beisel	2:14.26
10	Kelly Naze	2:15.28

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Michael Phelps	1:57.61
2	Chase Kalisz	1:58.77
3	Eduardo Solaeche	2:00.14
4	David Nolan	2:00.15
5	Michael Weiss	2:00.19
6	Patrick Mulcare	2:00.48
7	Uvis Kalnins	2:00.56
8	Dan Wallace	2:01.25
9	Evan White	2:01.79
10	Dylan Bosch	2:01.98

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Simone Manuel	24.83
2	Abbey Weitzeil	24.86
3	Farida Osman	25.22
4	Lia Neal	25.25
5	Ivy Martin	25.26
6	Natalie Coughlin	25.27
7	Amy Bilquist	25.33
8	Margo Geer	25.35
9	Liz Li	25.43
10	Madeline Bilquist	25.48

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Nathan Adrian	21.76
2	Vladimir Morozov	21.86
3	Brad Tandy	21.87
4	Santo Condorelli	22.04
5	Josh Schneider	22.05
6	Paul Powers	22.27
7	Matt Grevers	22.30
8	Cullen Jones	22.33
9	Geoff Cheah	22.39
10	Kristian Gkolomeev	22.44

Thursday Evening Recap

As expected, Phelps stole the show during the final of the 200-meter individual medley.

While he may have been holding back some during qualifying, the 18-time gold medalist took home the title when it counted behind a strong butterfly portion of the race. He held off Kalisz, who is the other primary Olympic medal hopeful on the American side, by a mere 1.61 seconds.

The Red, White and Blue should be strong in the event by the time Rio rolls around if Phelps and Kalisz continue to push each other like they did Thursday. 

USA Swimming passed along Phelps’ press conference after the win:

Post race presser with @MichaelPhelps and his memories from being at #ATTNats 15 years ago pic.twitter.com/V987EcMWKb

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) December 4, 2015

Elsewhere, hometown favorite Nathan Adrian (from Bremerton, Washington) gave the crowd plenty to cheer about during the men’s 50-meter freestyle. Adrian is the American record holder in the event, and he cleared the rest of the field by 0.1 second.

That may seem like the blink of an eye, but second-place finisher Vladimir Morozov only beat third-place finisher Brad Tandy by 0.01 second. That was the same margin that separated fourth place from fifth place.

On the women’s side, Allison Schmitt took home the title in the 400-meter freestyle by 1.5 seconds over the rest of the field. She created separation throughout the lengthy race, and there was little doubt who the best swimmer was in the event by the finish. 

Olympian Conor Dwyer took home the men’s 400-meter freestyle crown by more than a second as well.

Maya DiRado won the women’s 200-meter individual medley to much less fanfare than Phelps. Still, she held off Olympian Caitlin Leverenz and caught the attention of her former school in the process:

Congrats to @MayaDiRado! https://t.co/b2hjuq93oF

— Stanford Women's Swim/Dive (@stanfordwswim) December 4, 2015

Plenty of attention was focused on the women’s 50-meter freestyle because of the presence of Coughlin and Weir, who both made the final. Weitzeil was also comfortably in the final after an impressive qualifying showing, but it was Simone Manuel who captured the crown against the high-profile names.

Weitzeil turned in a quality showing in second place, but Coughlin and Weir finished well off the pace.

Note: The full results from each event are available on OmegaTiming.com.