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Phelps wins 200 medley in Paris

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-06-28 09:19

US swimmer Michael Phelps starts in the men's 200 meter medley preliminary heat at the Paris Open Swimming competition in Paris June 27, 2010. [Agencies]

PARIS - Michael Phelps says he needs to train harder after a weekend of mixed results at the Paris Open.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist won two races in Paris, including Sunday's 200-meter medley, but struggled in freestyle events and lost two finals.

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"Am I upset? Yes. Very," Phelps said. "When I'm upset, I think it's the best time for me to try and use that as a motivation."

Phelps won the 200 medley in 1 minute, 58.95 seconds ahead of fellow American Patrick Todd, who clocked 2:00.81. Italy's Federico Turrini finished third in 2:02.31.

Phelps, who was third in the 200 freestyle earlier Sunday, said training is the key to rediscovering his best form.

"Hopefully it's a wake-up call, if it's not then I have to change a lot," he said. "I blame myself. You've got to be responsible for your own action."

Phelps expected to improve after the Charlotte UltraSwim last month but was disappointed by his times.

"It's kind of the same times that I went in Charlotte," he said. "I'm clearly disappointed, but it's my own fault. I know I didn't do the training when I needed to do it at the right time."

In the 200 freestyle, Phelps had a good start but quickly faded away, touching in 1:47.54. France's Yannick Agnel won with a new national record of 1:46.30, and Sebastiaan Verschuren of the Netherlands finished second in 1:46.97.

Fresh from three weeks of training in Colorado, Phelps also won the 200 butterfly in Paris and came last in the 100 freestyle on Saturday.

"The 200 fly I thought I had done better training (after Charlotte) but clearly I have not," Phelps said. "I'm the only one who can fix it."

Phelps will stay in France next week to train in Vichy, where the American swimming team will have a training camp before the London Olympics in 2012.

Phelps will try to be ready for the American trials in August, which will determine the roster for the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, later that month.

The 18-year-old Agnel, who finished second in the 100 freestyle, claimed the biggest win of his career.

"This is so great," Agnel said about beating Phelps. "I have to realize what I did. But it's also true that Michael was not really fit. He will be ready when it really matters."

Asked about a potential rivalry with the promising Agnel in the coming years, Phelps said: "Everybody is going to be a rival at this point.

"I'm way behind and I'm the one who needs to catch up with them."

Among Sunday's winners, world and Olympic champion Cesar Cielo of Brazil posted a season's best 21.55 to claim the 50 freestyle ahead of Frenchmen Fabien Gilot and Frederick Bousquet.