Phelps answers Le Clos’ challenge with fast time in 100 fly

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Michael Phelps has answered the challenge from Chad le Clos.

After spending all day reading the South African’s taunts from halfway around the world, Phelps beat Le Clos’ time at the world championships to win the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. national championships Saturday night.

Phelps churned through the water on the return lap, far ahead of anyone else, and touched in 50.45 seconds. He was nearly a second faster than his gold-medal winning time at the London Olympics and, more important to Phelps, he went faster than Le Clos’ time about eight hours earlier in Kazan, Russia, where he won the world championship in 50.56.

After that race, Le Clos and his father both talked confidently of how they weren’t concerned with what Phelps was doing in Texas.