OMAHA, US: Michael Phelps qualified for a milestone fifth Olympics Wednesday, booking his ticket to the Rio Games with a 200m butterfly victory at the US swimming trials.
Phelps, whose record 22 Olympic medals include an astonishing 18 golds, clocked 1min 54.84sec to triumph over Tom Shields and become the first man to make a fifth US Olympic swimming team.
“With everything that’s happened, being able to come back – this was probably harder than any swim I’ve had in my life,” said Phelps, whose comeback after a brief post-London retirement was disrupted by a drink-driving arrest followed by a stint in rehab.
“I didn’t feel good the first two swims, didn’t really feel that good tonight,” added Phelps, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Thursday. “But getting on the team was the most important thing, and that’s the only thing I had to do tonight.”