Swimming update - Michael Phelps says it is time to change
At the closing ceremony of the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships that took place in Irvine California from the 18th to the 22nd of August, the popular American champion Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman complemented each other’s statements.
This event was the qualifying championship for the World Championships next year. Michael Phelps said that the end of this tournament he has a clearer picture of the areas on which he needs to work on for the World Championships 2011. On the other hand the athlete’s trainer Bob Bowman said that he now has a clearer idea as to how the two should work to give a better performance in the World Championships scheduled for the next summer.
It is quite evident that the coach and the swimmer both have taken the same stand in regards to swimming plans and tournaments that Phelps will be taking part in. Even though, Michael Phelps had been playing golf instead of practising swimming in the summer practise, he managed to win gold medals in two of the individual events of the Pan Pacific Championships. Not only this, Phelps also led his team to win the gold medals in all of the three relay races of the tournament on the back of the other champions Adrian and Ryan Lochte.
Michael Phelps also said that he will again be playing golf now that the biggest meets of the season are over, but only for a week or two. Then he will return to Baltimore to start training for the World Championships next year and the Summer Olympics 2012 in London.
After the US team won the gold medal in the medley relay on Saturday the 21st of August, Phelps said that it is time for him to change. He further said that the more he stays consistent with practising the sport and the stays the right shape, the better it would be for his performance in the mega events. He added that this break at California would be his last before the London Summer Olympics. Moreover, he said that he wanted to give the coming Olympics his best shot ever, since it would be his last game.
During this month apart from the Pan Pacs, Phelps competed in two of the Grand Prix meets and the US Championships, which took place in the beginning of August. Experts observed that after every race that he won, he always complained that he was not fit and he did not perform well and that he needs to improve his pace. The champion has set great world records and has won 14 gold medals at the Olympic Games.
One instance when he was not satisfied with his performance other than the Pan Pacific Championships is the Nationals which also took place in Irvine at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Complex, which is situated in the campus of the Irvine High School. Not happy with his swim, Michael Phelps was yet seen to smile at the medal podium at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, with the confession that he has a long way to go to maintain his extra-ordinary athletic record.
As for the 100-metre butterfly stroke, Phelps said that he needs to improve his timings in the first 50 metres of the race in order to finish the race below 50 seconds.
The undisputed swimmer of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships was Ryan Lochte who won 6 gold medals out of which 4 were the ones that he won in individual events. Michael Phelps withdrew from the 200 metre individual medley because he wanted to save some energy for the 4 into 100 metre relay medley, scheduled later that day. Unluckily for Phelps, he could not make it to the top two swimmers from the US team for the 400 metre individual medley.
His coach Bob Bowman told the correspondents that they will particularly be training for the individual medley meets. Phelps Individual medleys need dire improvement especially if he is to perform well in the Summer Olympics of London in 2012.
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