CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Using his new windmill stroke for an entire lap, Michael Phelps has tied for the fastest time in the preliminaries of the 100-meter freestyle at the Charlotte UltraSwim.

Phelps, swimming in the next-to-last heat, advanced to the evening final with a time of 49.50 seconds, which was matched by fellow Olympian Ricky Berens.
Another U.S. Olympian, Cullen Jones, was third fastest at 49.75, while France’s Frederick Bousquet moved on with the fourth-best time, 49.81. Bousquet is world-record holder in the 50 free.
Phelps used his normal bent-arm stroke on the outward lap Sunday morning, but straightened his arms for the return — a motion that uses more energy but should produce the additional speed he is looking for in the sprint race.