Michael Phelps led all the way in winning the 200-meter butterfly at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Wednesday night to extend his eight-year dominance in the event. The American touched in 1 minute, 54.11 seconds, fastest in the world this year. He finished a body-length ahead of Australia's Nick D'Arcy, who was timed in 1:54.73 after coming into the final with the world's fastest time. Takeshi Matsuda of Japan was third and China's Wu Peng fourth. “The last 50 hurt,” said Phelps, still breathing hard minutes after the race. “I was just like, ‘Please, get to the wall.' I felt the splash of water in the lane next to me, and I was like, ‘Please, don't get run down.' The fitness level is just not there.” Phelps was aiming at a time in the 1:53 range and was critical of his technique. He may not be in the same form that earned him a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, but it was Phelps' 31st consecutive victory in a 200 fly final. He hasn't lost since American Tom Malchow beat him at the 2002 Pan Pacs. American Ryan Lochte cruised to victory in the 200 freestyle with the fastest time in the world this year. Lochte touched in 1:45.30 wearing a waist-to-knee “jammer” textile suit that was mandated earlier in the year. That was quicker than the 1:45.47 swum by world champion Paul Biedermann of Germany at the European championships earlier this month. Lochte had a strong showing at the US nationals earlier this month when he won three events, including beating Phelps for the first time in a long-course medley. Olympic silver medalist Park Tae-hwan of South Korea was second in 1:46.27. American Peter Vanderkaay, the bronze medalist in Beijing, was third in 1:46.65. Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol won the 100 backstroke in 53.31, bettering his own meet record of 53.32 set four years ago. He took advantage of Lochte dropping out of the final after the morning preliminaries. Lochte and David Plummer were the fastest Americans and only two swimmers from each country make the finals, so that left Peirsol out. Peirsol was fourth at the turn, then poured it on down the stretch to win in his hometown pool. Junya Koga of Japan was second in 53.63. Ashley Delaney of Australia was third and Ryosuke Irie of Japan was fourth. Cesar Cielo of Brazil won the 50 butterfly with the world's fastest time. Cielo, the world and Olympic champion in the 50 free, touched in a meet-record 23.03 seconds. He defeated teammate Nicholas Santos, who was timed in 23.33. Roland Schoeman of South Africa, aiming for the 2012 London Olympics, was third in 23.39 at age 30. Geoff Huegill of Australia, at 31 the oldest man in the final, was fourth in 23.42. He lowered the meet record with a time of 23.27 in the morning preliminaries. Huegill retired after the 2004 Athens Games, then began a comeback in 2007. Emily Seebohm of Australia, who at 18 is 10 years younger than two-time Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin, rallied from third to win the 100 backstroke in 59.45. That lowered Coughlin's eight-year-old meet record of 59.72. Aya Terakawa of Japan was second in 59.59 and Coughlin finished third in 59.70. The top three were the only women under 1 minute in the final. Seebohm earned her first medal in a major international meet. World champion Marieke Guehrer of Australia won the women's 50 fly in 25.99, equaling the meet record set in the consolation final. Seebohm finished second in 26.08. American Christine Magnuson was third in 26.33. Jessica Hardy of the U.S. was sixth on opening night of the year's biggest international swimming meet. The US went 1-2 in the women's 200 freestyle. Olympian Allison Schmitt won in 1 minute, 56.10 seconds – second-fastest in the world this year – and lowering the meet record that Morgan Scroggy had set in the morning heats. Scroggy finished in 1:57.13. The American women controlled the 800 free, too. Kate Ziegler, world champion in 2005 and ‘07 who had fallen off in recent years, won in 8:21.59. Chloe Sutton was second in 8:24.51. World champion Jess Schipper of Australia edged American Teresa Crippen to win the 200 fly. Schipper, the Olympic bronze medalist, touched in 2:06.90 from lane seven. Crippen, who swam in lane four as the fastest qualifier, finished in 2:06.93.
