NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Phelps has left open the possibility that he could try to match, or even surpass, his record golden haul at the London Olympic Games. Phelps won an unprecedented eight gold medals at the last Olympics in Beijing in 2008 after winning six in Athens four years earlier but has kept everyone guessing about how many he will tackle in London. The 26-year-old, who has already confirmed he will retire from swimming after London, was expected to reduce his Olympic programme after admitting he had struggled for motivation.

But when the entry lists for next weeks U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, were released on Wednesday, Phelps was down for seven individual events. Added to the three relays, which Phelps swam at Athens and Beijing, that would give him a total of 10 events, raising the possibility of a mouthwatering finale from the most successful Olympian of all time. However, it is unlikely Phelps would swim all the events in London as swimmers often add extra events to the trials just as a back-up in case they fail to qualify in one of their expected events. As expected, Phelps entered the same five individual events he swam in Athens and Beijing - 200 metres freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 medley - although he had previously said he was quitting the 400 medley, his most gruelling event. He also entered the 100 freestyle, which he needs to contest to qualify for the 4x100 freestyle relay, and 200 backstroke, which he also entered at the last trials but did not swim at the Olympics.

Phelps faces stiff competition both at the Olympics and the U.S. trials from Ryan Lochte, the outstanding swimmer at last years world championships in Shanghai. Lochte has entered 11 individual events for the trials, including six where he will line up against Phelps. In the womens races, the versatile Natalie Coughlin entered five individual events as she tries to make her third Olympic team. Teenager Missy Franklin, the rising star of American swimming, also entered five events as she strives to qualify for her first Olympics. Dara Torres, attempting to make her sixth Olympic team at the age of 45, was entered in the 50 freestyle dash while former world record holder Janet Evans was entered in the 400 and 800 freestyle after making a comeback at age 40. (Editing by Ian Ransom)

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OMAHA, Neb. -- Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte renew their rivalry at next week's U.S. Olympic trials, where both swimmers could face each other in six events.

They'll open the eight-day meet in Omaha, Neb., on Monday in the 400-meter individual medley, a grueling event that Phelps had said he wasn't going to swim anymore after the 2008 Olympics, where he won a record eight gold medals. He holds the world record in the event.

Their other events against each other will be the 100 and 200 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 IM and 100 butterfly. Phelps is entered in the 200 butterfly as one of his seven events.

Lochte is entered in a total of 11 events, including the 50 free, 100 breaststroke, 200 fly and 400 free, but is unlikely to swim all of them. Swimmers can scratch out of an event up until the end of finals the day before their scheduled event. Phelps' other world records are in the 100 and 200 butterfly. He holds the American record in the 200 free.

Lochte's lone world record is in the 200 IM from last year's world championships, the first world mark set since high-tech bodysuits were banned. On the women's side, 17-year-old Missy Franklin and Olympic veteran Natalie Coughlin are each entered in five events. Dara Torres is only entered in the 50 free in an attempt to make her sixth Olympic team at 45.

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Michael Phelps is getting ready to dive head-first into another Olympic Games. Though he’s been training along with dozens of other U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls in Colorado Springs for about four weeks now, Phelps is only willing to give his current performance a “B-plus, A-minus.”

Ryan Seacrest asked Phelps in an exclusive sit-down what it’s going to take to get into A-plus shape in time for what he’s said will be his last Olympics. (And is there a place on the national team for Phelps’ training goatee?)

“There’s still some small things to fix over the next couple of weeks. I’m happy,” the 14-time gold medalist said, noting that what he does out of the pool is very important as to how he performs in the pool. “Recovering more, eating within 30 minutes, getting massages, sitting in the ice bath,” he said, ticking off a laundry list of postswim to-dos.

And what is going through Phelps’ head as he trains for his last Olympics?

“I think the coolest thing is reliving all the memories I’ve had throughout my career,” says Phelps, who will turn 27 before the games begin. “I’m a lot more relaxed and laid-back than I was for any of the other ones. It’s been a cool ride, a fun journey—I’m excited for London.”

First, however, we’re excited for the “weird crazy mustache” that Phelps and his teammates will shape their scruff into before they have to start shaving off those milliseconds with smooth faces. The 2012 Summer Olympics kick off July 27 in London. (E! Online and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

 

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During peak training times, Olympic swimmers, including Michael Phelps, swim at least 80,000 meters a week, equivalent to the distance of 50 miles. Believe it or not, those same professional athletes who spend more time swimming in a given month than the average Joe does in a lifetime, still need a few trusty lifeguards.

The Olympic swim trials, set to begin June 25, will feature 40 to 50 professional lifeguards watching over the impressive groups of swimmers. The Red Cross certified watchers of the water will be prepared if something happens such as a collision during the backstroke or a sharp flip turn that could go painful as swimmers begin their next lap. It may seem unnecessary for lifeguards to patrol the water. Nonetheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Who knows, maybe Olympic swimmers are just like us and have the potential to make normal people mistakes.

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In Focus, The Atlantic's photo blog, recently published an excellent collection of U.S. Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 London Games. All the pictures are from a media summit in Dallas, with athletes posing in their Olympic uniforms, like triathlete Gwen Jorgensen, and this shot (ha!) of Corey Cogdell. And then there's Michael Phelps, who showed up for a model shoot, apparently.

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Phelps, a 14-time Olympic champion who took a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, led from start to finish to win in 1min, 54.79secs with China's Wu Peng second in 1:56.71 and American Neil Caskey third in 1:59.82.

With the triumph, Phelps erased a pool record that had been his first world record - a mark of 1:54.92 in 2001 at age 15. Phelps went on to lower that world record and win his first world title in the event last in 2001.

"I wanted the pool record to stand just because that was my first world record," Phelps said. "This is kind of where everything started going. This is a great pool for me."Phelps won the 100 butterfly on Friday and the 400 individual medley on Saturday at the meet, but had not been happy with his showing at the meet. "Over the weekend I hadn't had that great of swims," Phelps said. "Hopefully going into trials we can fix that and be ready like this every day."

Megan Romano swam the fastest time in the world this year to win the women's 100 backstroke in 1:00.19 and Brendan Hansen, who helped Phelps win gold in the 2008 Olympic 400 medley relay, won the men's 100 backstroke in 1:01.16.

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Swimming is not enough! Great swimmers must do additional core strengthening! This swimmer workout has swimming exercises for your core and to make you swim faster! Visit hasfit for theworkout’s instructions, more videos, free meal plans, and other health tips. hasfit for the best free workout exercise routines for men and women at home or in gym. We provide fitness programs for varying fitness levels because every heart and soul deserves to be fit.

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The Longhorn Elite Invitational is one of swimming's final meets before the U.S. Olympic Trials, which are around the corner as we gear up for the 2012 Summer Games in London.

These tuneups are a good way to gauge athletes as they prepare to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. They can also be a time to catch up on what you have missed and learn about newcomers if you only follow swimming once every four years. This year, Olympic favorites and hopefuls Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Garrett Weber-Gale, Amanda Weir, Kathleen Hersey and Allison Schmitt will be competing in the event. Here are their stories.

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NEW YORK—In a press release issued Friday, Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps publicly apologized to his fans and Americans everywhere after actually tasting one of the Subway sandwiches he endorses. "I am embarrassed, ashamed, and quite frankly disgusted in myself for encouraging other people to eat that bready, semi-meat-flavored amalgamation Subway attempts to pass off as a meal," the statement read in part, explaining that most commercial shoots only required Phelps to hold sandwiches near his face, and even so, he was under the impression that those were only props.

"Actually watching the sandwich being made may have been even worse than eating it. Seeing that sad man peel translucently thin meat-sheets off damp paper and place them on limp marshmallowy bread, then dump on handfuls of gray-green vegetable matter and douse the whole thing in some goop out of a tube, took days off the end of my life. Again, I cannot begin to express how deeply sorry I am." The statement concluded by stating that Phelps will no longer continue on as a spokesman for Subway, adding that he would "rather endorse eugenics than that garbage."

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The 45th annual Santa Clara Grand Prix swim meet has attracted some of the world's leading performers heading into the London Games, USA Swimming announced Thursday. But Olympic stars Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte won't compete at the four-day meet that begins next Thursday at the George F. Haines International Swim Center. Although longtime entrants in Santa Clara, Phelps and Lochte chose a meet in Texas that is closer to their East Coast homes. Neither wanted to trek across the country with the U.S. trials starting June 25 in Omaha, Neb.

"There's a lot of line for the guys," Santa Clara club coach John Bitter said. "Do they really want to travel back and forth? I can't sit here and cry when I look at the international swimmers who are coming."The Santa Clara competition should have an Olympic atmosphere with most of Australia's vaunted women's team and about half of the Japanese team competing as well as international stars from Canada and South Africa.

"They're using this meet as their last spring board before going to London," Bitter said. Japan's Kosuke Kitajima is expected to be one of the meet's biggest headliners. The breaststroker has won gold medals in the 100 meters and 200 meters in the past two Olympics. Australia's Stephanie Rice is another Olympic champion entered. She set three world records in the Beijing Games en route to gold medals in the 200 meters and 400 meters individual medley and 800-meter freestyle relay.

East Bay Olympic stars Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer and Nathan Adrian also will highlight the meet that is the final stop of the U.S. Grand Prix series. Other top Americans include Jessica Hardy, Cal's Caitlin Leverenz and Madison Kennedy and Moraga's Kim Vandenberg, who trains in Berkeley with Coughlin. Former Cal sprinter Anthony Ervin also has entered the meet in his surprising comeback after winning a gold medal in the 50 meters freestyle in 2000.

Colorado teen sensation Missy Franklin and two-time Olympic breaststroker Brendan Hansen chose to compete at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite invitational in Austin on June 1-3 like Phelps and Lochte.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/elliottalmond.

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