Backstroke

ORLANDO, Fla. - Some 70 miles from the real thing in Daytona, Michael Phelps had his motor running during his own Speed Week. Phelps completed another overwhelming show at USA Swimming's Spring Nationals last night, where he rolled to a win in the 200-meter individual medley. He was timed in 1 minute, 56.80 seconds - less than a second off his world record and more than five in front of the runner-up, North Baltimore Aquatic Club teammate Kevin Clements. The most versatile swimmer ever, Phelps now owns history's five fastest times in the 200 IM. The presumptive star of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Phelps claimed five individual titles here, something that had never been done before he pushed the envelope at the Summer Nationals last August.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Michael Phelps continued his methodical drive toward another five American titles at USA Swimming's Spring Nationals last night. The 18-year-old from the North Baltimore Aquatic Club made history at the Summer Nationals last August when he became the first man to win five events at an American championship meet. Last night, he won his fourth event here, rolling to victory in the 100-meter butterfly. The meet will conclude tonight with another fait accompli, as he owns history's four fastest times in the 200 individual medley.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Michael Phelps collects nicknames the way he does records. Overseas, he's known as the "Phenom." At USA Swimming headquarters, they call him the "Baltimore Bullet." One of his former Towson High teachers came up with the "Baltimore Barracuda." How about the "transformer"? The 18-year-old smiled and nodded at the comparison to the small plastic toys that he tinkered with as a boy. "One minute they're a robot," Phelps said, "then you turned them into a car." He pulled a similar act at USA Swimming's Spring Nationals last night.

ORLANDO, Fla. - When the media play 20 questions with Michael Phelps, he knows what to expect. What does the world's hottest swimmer, 18 and still growing, have for breakfast to quell his ravenous appetite? How does he feel about his quest to match Mark Spitz's Olympic heroics of 1972, the possibility that Phelps could become only the second athlete to win seven gold medals in a single games? The third recurring question is the one he's not ready to answer: Might he attempt to one-up Spitz and go for gold in not just four, but five individual events?

AUBURN, Ala. - When he set seven world records in 41 days last summer, Michael Phelps spoiled the casual swim fan. The cognoscenti understand the years of development that went into his rewriting a good chunk of the sport's record book. Phelps intends to go even faster this summer and star at the 2004 Olympics, but now he must be patient and add to the foundation of a grand design that is lost on some. The 18-year-old from the North Baltimore Aquatic Club concluded his first meet of the Olympic year yesterday at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.

MELBOURNE, Australia - A pair of frontiers intersected in front of Michael Phelps last night. A trailblazer in one, he must ponder exactly how deep into the other he wants to venture. Phelps remained the dominant man at this FINA World Cup stop, falling less than a half-second shy of establishing world short-course records in the 200-meter backstroke and the 200 individual medley. The close calls mixed frustration and intrigue into his visit. "He was very disappointed with the 200 IM, but that's all part of the plan," said Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

COLLEGE PARK - Michael Phelps has a to-do list. Typical teenage stuff, like deciding whether to enroll in college next week. He's leaning toward waiting a year. He's already got something white-hot cooking on the front burner. Like the Olympics next summer, when Phelps, 18, figures to have a good chance at becoming king of Athens. Then there's the puppy. Phelps wants one. He grins ear to ear thinking about it. His mother promised if he did well at the world championships in Barcelona, he could get one. "My friend and I went into a pet store at the mall.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michael Phelps will continue his contrary ways in today's "Duel in the Pool." The one-day competition between Australia and the United States, the world's dominant swimming nations, lost some glamour when the visitors scratched national hero Ian Thorpe because of a meningitis-like virus, but the event will not be without star power, thanks to Phelps, the 17-year-old from Rodgers Forge and the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps is the only American man entered in three individual events, and he'll be favored to sweep the 400 individual medley and both the 100 and 200 butterflys.

INDIANAPOLIS - Another day, another national title for Michael Phelps, but this one was anything but routine. Phelps completed an unprecedented triple last night at the Conoco Phillips Spring Nationals, where he won the 100-meter butterfly in 51.89 seconds. Disappointment at falling short of his fifth world-record swim was tempered by a tidbit from USA Swimming, which reported that the 17-year-old from the North Baltimore Aquatic Club became the first male to win events in three of the four different strokes at the same national meet.

Aaron Krause is a typical swimmer. The Towson University junior has been so focused on achieving his No. 1 goal, making the NCAA Division I swimming and diving championships, he says he hasn't thought about making school swimming history. "I have been thinking about how much this should help our program in recruiting," he said. "And I've thought about what would be a good meet for me. If I could have a top-16 finish, it would be a great meet." Krause is the first Towson University swimmer to qualify for the national Division I meet, which this year is at the University of Texas on March 27-29.