For Michael Phelps, winning two out of three races ain't bad, especially considering that he felt "blah" in the third and lost by only 0.05 seconds.
Michael Phelps edges Ryan Lochte in the 100-meter backstroke
Olympictalk.nbcsports.com reported that French Olympic 200-meter freestyle champion Yannick Agnel edged Phelps in the 100-meter freestyle on Sunday at the Bulldog Grand Slam in Athens, Ga.
Agnel won in a time of 49.37 seconds; Phelps was second at 49.42 seconds. Phelps' rival Ryan Lochte finished fourth in the event with a time of 49.64.
According to NBC Sports, both Agnel and Phelps clocked faster times in the event earlier this year. In fact, the best time in the world in the 100 freestyle has been clocked by Australian James Magnussen with a time of 47.59 seconds.
Michael Phelps impressive in victory in the 100-meter butterfly in Bulldog Grand Slam
"I'm not really too pumped about tonight. My stroke kind of felt bad," Phelps said, according to USA TODAY Sports. "Tonight, as soon as I took my first stroke, I felt kind of blah. It happens from time to time."
Phelps' coach Bob Bowman said he believes Phelps is on track in his comeback from retirement following the 2012 London Olympics.
"It was fine. For what he's been doing, it's good," Bowman said. "Is it good enough to swim at a world championship level next year? No. He's going to have to do some different things. But for where he is right now, I think it's quite good."
Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly on Friday night, and the 100-meter backstroke on Saturday, finishing with times that were better than the goal he set for himself.
Phelps was preparing for the National Championships from Aug. 6-10 in Irvine, Calif.
Do you think Michael Phelps has the potential to be as dominant in the 2016 Summer Olympics as he has been in 2008 and 2012? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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