SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Get ready for the Thrilla in Rio.
A tantalizing rivalry at pool is unfolding with the 2016 Summer Games just a year away as Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos duel from afar, spiced up by the South African’s willingness to send a few verbal jabs at the winningest athlete in Olympic history.
Apparently, Le Clos is a bit miffed that Phelps jumped back into the 200-meter butterfly earlier this year with some pointed comments about the times not improving all that much while he was in retirement.
Le Clos has made it clear that he’s not intimidated by Phelps — especially after pulling off a stunning upset in that event in the 2012 London Games.
After Phelps turned in a stunning time in the 200 fly at the U.S. national championship Friday evening — the fastest by any swimmer since he set the world record in a high-tech suit in 2009 — Le Clos responded Saturday with a dazzling performance to win the 100 fly at the world championships in Kazan, Russia.
“I’m just very happy that he’s back to his good form, so he can’t come out and say, ‘Oh, I haven’t been training’ or all that rubbish that he’s been talking,” said Le Clos, who won with a time of 50.56 seconds — faster than Phelps’ gold medal-winning performance in 2012.
“Next year is going to be Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier.”
Phelps hasn’t called out Le Clos by name but made it clear that he wants to go faster in the secondary meet at San Antonio than the winning times in Kazan in his three main races: the 100 and 200 fly, as well as the 200 individual medley. He had to settle for competing in the U.S. nationals after being removed for the U.S. world championship team as part of his punishment for a second drunken-driving arrest.
Phelps won with a time of 1:52.94 — faster than Le Clos’ winning time at the last Summer Olympics or Laszlo Cseh’s performance in Kazan, where Le Clos was the runner-up.
“I think we’re in a pretty good place right now,” Phelps said. “I’m just going to let that” — taking a quick glance toward the scoreboard — “keep doing the talking.”
Le Clos was more outspoken. He said it’s easier for Phelps to put up good times in San Antonio because he’s not racing the best swimmers in the world.
“Look, I don’t want to say it’s easy to swim by yourself, but it’s a lot harder when you know Chad le Clos is coming back at you the last 50 meters,” Le Clos said. “That’s what he’s got to think about really.”
Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, said his swimmer will undoubtedly take note of everything Le Clos says.
“He’s a motivation machine,” Bowman said of Phelps. “He can turn anything into motivation.”
Phelps was looking to best Le Clos’ time when he competing in the final of the 100 fly on a sweltering Saturday evening in south Texas. He was a bit sluggish in the morning preliminaries, posting the second-fastest time of 52.12. Jack Conger was the top qualifier in 51.97.
“I was a little slow getting up this morning. I hurt a little bit,” Phelps said, describing his race as “blah.”
“Nothing really exciting about it,” he added.
Phelps started slowly and reached the midway point in the middle of the pack, though he did power through the final lap to touch ahead of everyone in his heat.
“I guess I was out a little slow,” Phelps said. “That’s something I’ve got to fix for tonight. I need to be about a second faster.”
Since coming out of retirement in early 2014, Phelps had struggled to get back to where he was at the height of his career. Also, he took a break from training after his DUI arrest, going through six weeks of inpatient therapy in Arizona.
His performance in the 200 fly showed that he’s capable of reclaiming his dominance in the pool. But the emotions of the swim — and what he’s been through over the past year — were a bit overwhelming.
“I think a big thing I really have to focus on over the next year is being able to control the physical and emotional energy,” Phelps said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done a swim like that. That was close to probably my best 200 fly ever. I have to be able to balance the energy a little bit better than I did.”
Asked his goal for the 100 fly final, he pointed to Le Clos’ winning time in Kazan.
“Faster than them,” Phelps said, smiling.
Bring it on, said Le Clos’ father.
“However fast Michael goes, we go faster. I’m serious,” Bert Le Clos told The Associated Press in Kazan, adding that he wasn’t even bothering to check Phelps’ times anymore. “I don’t care about his times, because I know my son is going to beat him.”
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Kazan, Russia, contributed to this report.
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