Phelps remains on track to challenge Spitz’s mark

OMAHA, Neb. – Michael Phelps will get another shot at Mark Spitz’s Olympic record in Beijing.

Gary Hall Jr. won’t be going to China at all.

Phelps locked up his eight-race schedule by winning the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Saturday night, powering away on the return lap to easily beat world-record holder Ian Crocker. The winning time was 50.89 seconds, about a half-second slower than Crocker’s 3-year-old mark of 50.40.

“This week turned out how I wanted it to,” Phelps said.

Although Phelps had to be content with setting two world records in Omaha, Margaret Hoelzer put her name in the book with a win in the 200 backstroke.

The 25-year-old got a great surge off the wall heading into her third lap, then closed strongly to finish in 2:06.09, beating the record of 2:06.39 set by Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry in February. It was the ninth world record of the meet.

Hall was denied and won’t get a chance to go for his third straight Olympic gold in the 50 freestyle. The 33-year-old iconoclast came on deck wearing a red, white and blue cape and used his hands as six-shooters, hoping to take down his younger rivals in his only event of the trials.

But Garrett Weber-Gale touched first with an American record of 21.47, while defending world champion Ben Wildman-Tobriner took the second Olympic spot in 21.65.

Cullen Jones, who set the previous U.S. mark of 21.59 in Friday’s preliminaries, was third in 21.81, while Hall settled for fourth in 21.91.

Ever the showman, the 10-time Olympic medalist announced his retirement – sort of.

“This is my last race,” Hall said. Then, after a long, dramatic pause, he added, “Until I race again.”

In the 100 fly, Crocker led at the flip but faded over the final 50. Still, the 25-year-old managed to hang on to a spot on his third Olympic team by finishing second in 51.62.

Phelps added to his wins in the 200 and 400 individual medleys, 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly. He’s also expected to swim all three relays, giving him another shot at Spitz’s record of seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games. Phelps just missed in 2004, winning six golds and two bronzes.

Katie Hoff, Phelps’ former teammate at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, will be nearly as busy as her pseudo-big brother in Beijing.

The 19-year-old Hoff claimed her fifth individual race of the Olympics with an easy win over defending world champion Kate Ziegler in the 800 freestyle, with a winning time of 8:20.81.

Dara Torres, 41, continued her remarkable comeback, setting an American record in the 50 freestyle semifinals.

The mark fell three times during the day, finally winding up back where it started – in Torres’ name when she did one furious lap in 24.38.

She’ll have a chance to take it lower in the finals today, the final night of the meet.