American swimming star Michael Phelps grabbed a win in the men's 200m freestyle at the Mesa Pro Swim here.
Phelps made a low-key start at the competition on Thursday, but the 200m win was a confidence booster in an event he's found tough in his comeback, reports Xinhua.
"I swam that like I used to always swim it," said Phelps, who smashed the 200m free world record and made it one of his eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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"I kind of just stepped on the gas in the first hundred, and that's when I swim my best 200 free."
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The 18-time Olympic gold medalist just missed out on qualifying for the championship final in the event.
His winning "B" final time of 1:48.21 would have given him bronze in the championship race won by Conor Dwyer in 1:46.61.
"I think the biggest thing I had tonight is I was able to get confidence back in that race," Phelps said. "I haven't really swum that race well in a long time."
Phelps, always cagey about just what his Olympic program plans are, said he wasn't sure if he'd tackle the 200m free at the US Olympic trials in June.
