Swim: Phelps, Hoff keep winning at Missouri Grand Prix
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly today, and Katie Hoff culminated a dominating meet with another victory and a narrow second-place finish on the final day of the Missouri Grand Prix.
Phelps won the butterfly in 51.52 seconds, with world-record holder Ian Crocker finishing second.
In his final two races, Phelps finished second and sixth. He was runner-up in the 100 backstroke, 0.14 seconds behind world-record holder Aaron Peirsol. In the 100 breaststroke, Phelps was way back in sixth, with the victory going to world-record holder Brendan Hansen.
With four wins in seven events and a personal best in one of his defeats Monday, Phelps called the weekend a success.
"I was happy with everything but the 400 IM," he said. "Swimming (three events in a day) all in about 40 minutes, is probably not a bad triple."
Hoff capped a weekend in which she broke two American records with her fifth victory of the meet in the 800 freestyle, finishing nearly 15 seconds ahead of the closest competitor.
Hoff finished 0.15 seconds behind Zimbabwe Olympian Kirsty Coventry in the 200 individual medley. Both swimmers threatened the world record through the first seven laps before fading at the finish.
Coventry, who set a world record Saturday in the 200 backstroke, also won the 100 backstroke Monday in 59.47 seconds.
Natalie Coughlin broke her world record in the 100 backstroke during preliminaries Sunday night and did not race in the event's final.
Other winners Monday included Thiago Pereira in the 200 individual medley and Erik Vendt in the 1,500 freestyle. On the women's side, Rachel Komisarz won the 100 butterfly and Tara Kirk the 100 breaststroke.
Amanda Beard, attempting to qualify for her fourth Olympics at 26, finished eighth among the eight finalists in the 100 breaststroke after a fourth-place finish Sunday in the 200 breaststroke.