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Phelps flops as world records tumble

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-16 09:15

BERLIN: Michael Phelps admitted Saturday he is in poor form after another disappointing performance saw him finish fifth in the men's 200m butterfly final as world records tumbled here at the short course World Cup meet.

Phelps, who claimed eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, touched the wall in 1 min 54.22 secs behind Russia's Nikolay Skvortsov's winning time of 1: 51.64.

Having finished third in the 100m medley at Stockholm's World Cup meet last week where he missed out on two other finals, Phelps swam in traditional trunks here while some of his rivals wore the modern high-tech swimsuits.

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And the Olympic hero said he was bitterly disappointed at another poor performance.

"Others may want to wear the high-tech suits but I am preparing for the future," said Phelps with the world's governing body FINA to ban the modern swimsuits from Jan 1, 2010.

"I am not in the form that I really want to be."

Phelps, 24, suffered the first defeat in four years to Germany's Paul Biedermann, 23, in the 200m freestyle final at Rome's World Championships last July.

Biedermann also holds the world short course record (1:40.83) achieved in Berlin last year and broke the world record in Berlin on Saturday in the men's short course 400m freestyle.

The 23-year-old German clocked 3: 32.77 to break Australian Grant Hackett's previous mark of 3: 34.58, despite only getting the green light to race on Friday after recovering from a thigh injury.

"I am really pleased with the race, the leg was a bit sore before and I needed 45 minutes to get into my suit," said the German.

Records tumbled all day at Berlin's Landsberger Allee pool as Japanese teenager Shiho Sakai broke the women's 200m backstroke record.

Sakai won the final in a time of 2: 0.18 to take 0.73 off the previous mark set by Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

"I still can't believe it," said the 19-year-old.

"I should be pleased with the race but it is a pity I didn't go under the two-minute mark. That's now my goal for the future."

And Germany's Steffen Deibler broke his own world record in the men's short course 50m butterfly.

AFP