AFP, Miami :
Missy Franklin won the 100m backstroke at the Orlando Pro Swim on Friday in 59.80sec-a time that delighted the four-time Olympic gold medalist who had been frustrated with her times early in the build up to the Rio Games.
“I am so happy-I can’t even tell you,” Franklin beamed. “It’s something I’ve been working for so long, getting those four digits up there again,” added Franklin, who had failed to break one minute in the 100m backstroke earlier this year. “I felt it, too, that last 15 meters hurt like a 59, and I haven’t felt that for a while,” she added. “I knew it was going to happen and having that feeling again and having that pain felt so good.” Franklin is now one of five women to break one minute this season, improving on her previous 2016 best of 1:00.03 at a meeting in Austin in January.
Franklin will be hoping it’s a sign of things to come, with the ultra-competitive US Olympic trials looming in late June and the Rio Games coming up in August.
Russian Yuliya Efimova in the women’s 200m breaststroke and American Nathan Adrian in the men’s 50m freestyle notched impressive wins. Efimova, winner of the 100m breaststroke on Thursday, won the 200m in 2:21.41, second-fastest time in the world this year behind the 2:20.04 that Japan’s Rie Kaneto clocked at the Aquatic Super Series in Australia.
Melanie Margalis was a well-beaten second in 2:25.46 with Hilda Luthersdottir third in 2:26.42.
Adrian won the 50m free in 21.70sec, the second-fastest time in the world this year behind Florent Manaudou’s 21.57 posted in Amiens.
“That’s a good starting point,” Adrian said of the time as he looked ahead to the push toward Rio.
Caeleb Dressel was second in 22.06 and Egyptian Ali Khalafalla was third in 22.25.
American Ryan Murphy won the men’s 100m backstroke in a quick 53.47, with California’s Ryan Murphy cranked out a winning time in the men’s 100-meter back at the 2016 Arena Pro Swim Series Orlando.
Murphy threw down a swift time of 53.47, just off his fourth-ranked season best of 53.46 from the Austin stop.
Russia’s Grigory Tarasevich was second in 53.84 and America’s Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers was third in 54.20.
Superstar Michael Phelps was fourth in 54.42 in an event that wasn’t a part of his usual repertoire when he was amassing 18 Olympic gold medals.
Phelps also raced in the 200m breaststroke heats on Friday, failing to qualify for the championship final in another event he rarely races.
Phelps’s outing in the backstroke followed his victory on Thursday in the 100m butterfly, one of his signature events.
He was pleased with that win, but disappointed with his time of 52.28 saying he had been aiming to break 52 seconds.
Phelps will have a chance to end the meeting on a strong note when he races in the 100m freestyle on Saturday.
