Michael Phelps closed out the US Olympic trials with a commanding win in the 100 meters butterfly on Saturday, adding a final flourish to his packed Beijing program. After seven days, 15 swims and two world records, Phelps has crafted an Olympic schedule that will include eight events, providing the 23-year-old with enough ammunition to attack Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Summer Games. “This week turned out the way I wanted it to,” Phelps told reporters. “I'm excited and ready for the challenge that lies ahead of me. “It's a week of competing that has come to a close. We have to prepare ourselves for the Olympics and hopefully we can come back in a month and prove to the world that the US is the best swimming team out there.” The 100m butterfly showdown was a classic contest, pitting the two fastest men all-time in the event, world record holder Ian Crocker against Olympic champion Phelps. The pair matched each other stroke-for-stroke coming off the final turn before Phelps powered away to touch in 50.89 and complete the trials a perfect five-for-five in finals (the 200m and 400m medley, 100 and 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle). Phelps will also participate in three relay events in the Chinese capital next month. After false starting and being disqualified in the 100m freestyle, Crocker made the most of his last chance to make the team for Beijing, where he will try to end Phelps' gold medal run in the 100 butterfly. “I guess it's no surprise I will be going for gold in the 100m fly, trying to wrestle Michael for it,” Crocker said. The evening session got off to spectacular start, Margaret Hoelzer demolishing the 200m backstroke world record with a time of 2:06.09, slicing .30 seconds off the old mark set by Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry earlier this year. Elizabeth Beisel was a well beaten second in 2:06.92 while Hayley McGregory, who set a world record in the 100m backstroke preliminaries but finished third in the final, had her Olympic dreams smashed after another third-place result. With one day remaining, it was the eighth world record to fall at the trials while another in the men's 200m backstroke was equalled. Katie Hoff, who Michael Phelps playfully calls his little sister, capped off her week with a crushing victory in the 800m freestyle by powering away from Kate Ziegler to finish more than five seconds clear of the world champion in a time of 8:20.81. The victory guarantees Hoff a Phelps-like schedule in Beijing, having qualified in five individual events (the 200m and 400m medley, and the 200, 400 and 800m free). Garrett Weber-Gale blazed to victory in the 50m freestyle, posting an American record time of 21.47 seconds to finish ahead of world champion Ben Wildman-Tobriner. Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr.'s bid to make his fourth team and an opportunity to become the first swimmer to win the same event at three different Games ended in failure with a fourth-place finish. – Reuters __
