Michael Phelps messes it up in 100m freestyle at US championships
The 18-time Olympic champion's comeback bid suffers its first setback at the US championships
Olympic great Michael Phelps suffered the first big setback of his return to competition as a poor turn left him seventh in the 100m freestyle at the United States championships.
In a finals field loaded with Olympic medallists, the 18-time champion made a mess at the 50m wall and had no chance to challenge coming home in the race won by 2012 Olympic gold medallist Nathan Adrian.
When I literally took a couple of kicks and I barely passed the flags, I knew there was very little chance that I was going to run anybody down
"When I literally took a couple of kicks and I barely passed the flags, I knew there was very little chance that I was going to run anybody down," Phelps said.
"It just kind of stinks that I missed the first wall."
Phelps ended a near two-year retirement in April, and the US championships are just his fourth meet since then and his first chance to qualify to represent the United States at an international event - the Pan-Pacific Championships from August 21-25 in Gold Coast, Australia.
He is slated to swim the 100m butterfly today - the event he has raced the most since his return - and the 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley tomorrow and Sunday.
"I'm just trying to get a spot on the team and go from there," Phelps said.