Michael Phelps: Overview of his performance at the 2011 World Championships – Part 1
One of the greatest swimmers of all time, Michael Fred Phelps, ended his stint at the 2011 Shanghai World Championships with some varied performances in his major events. Phelps, who has stunned the aquatics arena with numerous record-breaking efforts during
his international swimming career, was only able to grab two individual gold medals at these world titles.
The 26-year-old Phelps, who is considered as the top most hope of the American swimming team at all international levels, has shined at every international stage of swimming. He has claimed the gold crown 14-times in just two Olympic editions, at the 2004
Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, respectively. His Olympic career highlights were not confined to the possession of gold medals only, as he also owned two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens meet.
Having won six gold medals and two bronze medals at his first Olympic Games, the thirst of this American swimmer aggregated. Meanwhile, at the 2008 Olympics, he made a world record by winning eight-record gold medals in a single Olympics meeting.
Besides, the aquatic king showered his expertise once again at the 2009 Rome World Championships, where he lowered his own world record of the 100m butterfly and the 200m butterfly categories. After the continued phase of record-breaking efforts, the American
tiger cemented his place as the unbeatable butterfly specialist.
The next year, Phelps presented a deteriorated swim in the 200m freestyle at the second stop of 2010-2011 USA Grand Prix Series in Austin, where he failed to qualify for the final of 200m event. At the Indianapolis Grand Prix, he regained his 200m freestyle
title, by overshadowing the event with his unmatchable expertise.
Later on, the American nation’s favourite, Phelps presented a dismal performance at the Eric Namesnik Grand Prix, where he lost his 200m butterfly title from Peng Wu, for the first time in the last decade. Then, at the last two stops of Grand Prix in Charlotte
and Santa Clara, Phelps settled as the silver medallist in his main event.
The world of swimming was stunned with the deteriorating efforts of the arena’s favourite, while no one knew the actual reason of such flawed swims by such a fantastic swimmer. Despite of three title losing performances, Phelps’s national, US Open and world
record remained untouched and no swimmer was able to post a time even close to him.
Subsequently, the butterfly specialist, who turned 26 years on June 30, claimed to have learned his lesson from these consecutive defeats and stressed that his focus is now directed towards making a splash at the upcoming stage of the 2012 London Olympic
Games. He also indicated his plans of taking retirement from competitive swimming after the latter event.
In addition, Phelps declared that now he knows his position in the international world and there is a lot of work for him to do, as he wishes to regain his titles at the world event in scintillating fashion. Nevertheless, the American said that like Beijing,
he will not participate in eight events ever in his life again, and consequently, he planned to participate in seven categories at the Shanghai meet.
Continued in part 2.
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