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The incentive isn't as hard as you might think.
Michael Phelps' coach promised the swimmer the morning off if he could nail two times in his individual events last night at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships. Because he's Phelps, he did even better.
Competing in another "off" event - the 100-meter backstroke - Phelps again dropped jaws, narrowly missing the world record by 0.03 of a second. His winning time of 53.01 seconds is the second-best time ever posted at 100 meters, barely off the pace of Aaron Peirsol's 52.98, set at the world championships in March.
"It was a little bit of shock and a little bit of 'Why can't I have four more hundredths?'" Phelps said after the race, his second win of the evening. Phelps had previously coasted to victory in the 200-meter freestyle, casually setting a U.S. Open record with his time of 1 minute, 44.98 seconds.
The two winning times last night met coach Bob Bowman's approval, and Phelps was granted this morning off. "I haven't had a sleep-in for a while," Phelps said. Also, Bowman said Phelps would not compete in tonight's 200-meter individual medley but would still be a part of the 400-meter medley relay team, which will be Phelps' eighth and final event on the final day of the national championships. He already has five gold medals.
In addition to Phelps' accomplishments last night, Towson's Katie Hoff added a bit more weight to her carry-on luggage. She also set a U.S. Open record, swimming the 200 freestyle in 1:57.57 seconds, winning Round 3 of her nationals' freestyle duel with Kate Ziegler. Earlier in the week, Ziegler topped Hoff in the 400- and 800-meter freestyle events, both in tight finishes.
While Phelps was looking forward to a morning off, Hoff's calendar was double-booked last night. As a weekly respite from the pool, Hoff takes hip-hop dance classes in Towson, and last night she missed her dance group's scheduled performance of a routine they had been working on, set to a Beyonce Knowles tune.
"I did rock-climbing before," Hoff said. "But after worlds, I switched to dancing once a week. ... I can't be swimming all the time."
For Phelps, another big time in an off event adds intrigue to the question of how many medals he might pursue at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On Tuesday, he barely missed a world record in the 200-backstroke, another event that was excluded from both Phelps' 2004 Olympics repertoire and his world championships program in March. Those around the pool also say he would be the top American 100-meter freestyle competitor if he wanted to be, which means Phelps could potentially qualify for six or seven individual events and three relays at the next Summer Games.
Bowman spoke glowingly of Phelps' performance in the backstroke last night, saying his stroke over the last half was the best the coach has seen. Asked whether the event could crop up again in next June's Olympic trials, Bowman said, "Probably not, but you never know." He similarly left the door slightly open for the 200 backstroke earlier in the week.
Besides Hoff, the only other swimmer from the North Baltimore Aquatic Club competing last night was Elizabeth Pelton, who finished the C-final of the 100-meter backstroke in 1:02.93, good for 18th place.
