Michael Phelps emerged from the water in Santa Clara, Calif., with an unfamiliar look of disappointment splashed across his face. A glance at the scoreboard only made things worse.
Even in tuneup races, losing streaks for Phelps are rare.
The planet's most recognized swimmer lost for the third consecutive time in one of his signature events Sunday night, finishing a tenth of a second behind Australia's Nicholas D'Arcy in the 200-meter butterfly at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix.
"I would have liked to get the win and end the drought of getting my butt kicked every race, but Nick and I have had some good races over the past couple years and he's definitely a tough competitor and he finishes really strong," Phelps said.
The 14-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder was hardly at his dominating best, getting chased down in the final 25 meters. D'Arcy touched the wall a fingertip ahead at 1 minute, 55.39 seconds.
Phelps chalked up the losses to part of the training process. He spent most of the past month in high altitude in Colorado Springs, exhaustingly increasing his workouts.
But one thing is for sure: Phelps will have to be better when the world championships begin July 16 in Shanghai if he wants gold.
SOCCER
U.S. beats Jamaica in Gold CupJermaine Jones broke a scoreless tie early in the second half, leading the United States to a 2-0 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals in Washington, D.C.
