SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Michael Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly Saturday at the Arena Pro Series and met his expectations.
Phelps last won a 200 fly race at the 2012 Olympic trials and declared he would not return to the event when he came out of retirement last year.
Phelps swam his first 200 fly since earning a silver medal in London last month in Charlotte, finishing seventh in 2:00.77.
Still the world record holder in the event, Phelps seems determined to recapture the glory of the discipline that vaulted him into prominence at the 2000 Olympics.
He won on Saturday in 1:57.62, six seconds slower than his record time in Rome in 2009 but three seconds faster than he was last month.
It was the time he targeted to continue working out for the event.
“I’m very pleased with tonight’s race,” Phelps said. “If I continue to swim that race, I need to focus on getting that second half under a minute.”
Meanwhile, Regis Jesuit alumna Missy Franklin, who said Friday she was still “shaking the cobwebs off” after competing for the first time since the NCAA championships in March, finished third in the 100 backstroke.
Katinka Hosszu won the race in 59.69, followed by Elizabeth Pelton (1:00.31), Franklin’s former teammate at Cal. Franklin, training again in the Denver area, was third in 1:00.65.
Another former Regis Jesuit standout, Clark Smith, had a strong showing in the 400 freestyle, finishing fourth in 3:49.72. Smith, who swims for the University of Texas, finished fifth in Friday’s 200 freestyle.
Former Fossil Ridge star Nero Bailey finished 12th in the women’s 200 butterfly.
Elsewhere, Cal alum Nathan Adrian won the 50 freestyle in 21.97, which was the eighth-fastest time in the world this year. Stanford’s Simone Manuel won the women’s 50 freestyle in 24.75.
Ryan Murphy won the 100 backstroke in 53.83. Cody Miller won the 200 breaststroke with a lifetime-best mark of 2:09.71.
