It's funny how Marin outsplit Phelps by 0.89 over the last 300 m but is incredibly slow over the first 100 m.

The thing with Phelps in the 200 and 400IM is that he was undoubtedly the best butterfly swimmer in the race, even if going at less than 100% intensity. Could argue the same applies with freestyle and backstroke too. He was obviously a weaker breast-stroke swimmer than Lochte, but because of the scale of his fly dominance, Phelps could take the first 150m of the race fairly easily and still be level with Lochte, who would be busting a gut to stay within touching distance. This meant that despite being 'level' going into the breast stroke leg, and therefore perceived to be at a slight disadvantage, he had enough left in the tank to throw everything in the tank on his weakest stroke, giving him an advantage in the free which he was never going to relent. It's the same reason you often rarely saw Phelps in a commanding lead after the fly leg, despite obviously comfortably being the best butterfly swimmer in the race - he would just gently work that first 150m.

Am I the only one more impressed with Luka Marin? I mean his fly leg was something like 1:00

Can we just take a moment to realise that at the 200, Phelps was a full second behind record pace and then one lap later, he's .33 ahead of it? Goes to show how much he'd improved his breaststroke.

i remember watching this race. it was truly what made me love the sport and got me into it

Every time I watch him swim, I'm like "wait for the last turn, here it comes, here it comes..ohhhhh no way!" Started beasting the last turn of whatever I'm doing in training now.

Phelps: 25.56 Fly 55.05 1:26.70 Back 1:58.18 2:33.30 Breast 3:09.33 3:38.43 Free 4:06.22 Lochte: 26.13 Fly 55.99 1:27.08 Back 1:58.15 2:34.45 Breast 3:11.54 3:41.14 Free 4:09.74 Marin: 28.07 Fly 59.60 (31.53) jeez that is some slow butterfly 1:31.02 Back 2:01.83 (30.81) 2:36.95 Breast (35.12) 3:12.96 (36.01) 3:42.30 Free (29.34) 4:09.88 (27.58)

Cseh improved tremendously in just 1 year to land at the podium the next year!

michael phelps is the best EVER IN 400IM AND 200IM. He´s dominated these two events which are the most difficult ones in swimming for 7 years and have never lost in these two events in 8 years.

If Marin had come in level with Ryan after the fly, i swear he would have won this race

holy shit marin's back-breast-free ,ust have been crazy to recover the distance he lost in fly

I've been swimming for 9 years, and I'm always jealous of their dolphin kicks off the walls, Its like, so smooth and stuff. xD

did anyone else notice that the guy that was in last in the beginning, almost got second in the end?

Imagine Marin had Phelps' fly.... Phelps would have had some real competition then.

Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte. The two reasons the United States always dominates swimming.

so so so so soooooooooooooooooooo amazing!!! how does he make so many records? he really is superman

Awesome MP.. Congrats on all your success. . G.O.A.T.. I love u okay!? :)

My coach Dave Wharton got the WR in the late 80's in this event, and he's half deaf. I wonder how Phelps would do in swimming deaf?

Just awesome..

phelps just broke that WR in a legal suit

the guy in lane 5 has some balls

@BlatterArteries His name is Lucca Marin, the regular medley swimmer from Italy

Luca Marin is sensational!

Have you noticed that his dad is never there? That's because dolphins aren't allowed to sit in chairs.

I KNOW! that was hilarious! you look back in the fly and marin was 20 yards back! LOL:) PHELPS FTW! :)

Did ANYONE notice where Luca Marin started compared to where he finished..."Yawn..butterfly...REST OF RACE??It be time to get some"

there still here.. i don't get whats to miss? They'll be seen in the olympics this year.

This record still stands as far as I know... It must be a hard one to beat!

@fruitsandpi he is Luca Marin.. hope he'll return to this level!!

@juandi2570 Ryan Lochte holds the world record in the 200IM... And the open water distance events are harder than 200 and 400IM. Many would argue a strong case for the 1500 as well.

@aaacacaas That's why he also defeated Ossama Mellouli (the reigning leader in 1500m freestyle) for 3rd place

Micheal Phelps Is My Swimming Idol!! i am gonna be like him one day (:

@juandi2570 isn't 1500 m freestyle the hardest cause it's like the longest?

Indubbiamente phelps è il migliore!!

damn! he makes it look so easy! every swimmer knowns how hard it is to swim 400 IM

Фантастический Майкл!!!!!!!!!!!!

the guy who was third was dead last at the first 100 meter butterfly but then he almost came in second in the end... wow...

Where would Marin have been if he could swim fly??

how come he is swimming like that so fast?

how did marin come back!!!!!!

SUPER MAN !

@hololop I do't like to disagree with people but .. as i'm a swimmer, i love to see the prep :)

when phelps is doing the backstroke it looks like his arms are legs.. they're so freakin big ;P

@eb821 , yeah i know but Bolt lost too. The great ones mean business when Important events come around like the Olympic Games and World Championships. We''ll see next year.

and he did it in a jammer!

aha the description says Phelps "smokes" the competition. Lolll am i the only one that noticed the pun :D

The Baltimore Bullet!

Phelps = total enialation!

pradagirl737 what do you mean at western zones sol. cal or pacific always wins

@thedccomedy nice man! :) haha my best is only a 2:50 and i thought that was pretty fast lol....

hi im Phelps! how is every one?

The thing is lochte is a fantastic all time great of a swimmer....phelps makes him looks silly....

@hotjulio123 , a year doesn't tell the whole story. Let's wait and see after 2012. Michael is the undisputed best ever.

Not even close. Phelps killed it in Beijing breaking 4:04. Now THAT is a hard one to beat.

@aaacacaas read my comment and then speak out. I said Michael Phelps is the best ever in both events i can prove it in a thousand ways. Now, i don't know if Phelps is on top on 200 but he will be when London comes around.

stop dreamin'. Michael is the best ever. Do you know that Michael just smashed the world record at beijing today? Martin didn't ever make it to the podium.

@juandi2570 i dont think they are the most difficult in swimming. 400IM is pretty tough but the 1500 and the 200 fly are defo harder than 200IM

Wow in my school they make us do 400m as a warm up haha! a real challenge is a 1600m nobody in my school has ever finished it :D

@aaacacaas read my comment. I said Phelps is the best ever which is true. Now I don't know but he will be when london comes around.

phélpss is the best in the wolrd........o!

michael phelps is the bets :D

well when marin gets 8 gold in one olympics with 7 world records right behind that, then we can talk...

yep and it was a one time thing. he gets drug tested regularly now because he's part of some organization that i cant remember

no kidding. can't believe he came back to almost get second after how terrible that leg was.

the announcer is wrong at the end of the video...czeh didnt beat phelps in 2005, phelps didnt swim the 400IM in 2005

one year later he went 4:03

if you look at this race, phelps is just wearing shorts, or kneeskin, or whatever, so it's not because of the suits

@DD7n , not really. Have you swum the 400IM, do it and come and post again................................. The 200 back, 200 fly, 200IM and 400Im are tougher than the 1500 free.

Yea lol, he was so behind I thought he slipped on the blocks

Ian Crocker false started in a relay exchange in the Prelims.

@Twaindude Yeah that was insane. If he had a faster butterfly stroke, at least keeping up with the rest of the field, he could have won the race. Oh well...

@rhertz3 he didn't lose, he chosed to not swim that event.

Wow, it looks like Marin's 100m fly was like over a minute. I got a better time than that to make nationals. I was just swimming the 100m fly, though, and not the 400 but still, the fact that he came back from that to get bronze is amazing.

Smoking pot is a mistake?

YOU DON'T SAY!

@juandi2570 Not anymore Lochte beat Phelps yesterday.

@juandi2570 he lost to lochte in the 200im this year

Wow if he had a split around phelps/lochte the rest of his race would put him around 4:05ish... wonder what his problem is!

I remember the first time i did a 200 IM i puked, I can't imagine doing double lol

It is just much weaker when compared to the other swimmers. But his last 3 legs of the IM were faster than Lochte or Phelps I think. He almost caught Lochte and made up some ground on Phelps.

Who had the world record before?

Starts at 3:23

just imagine marin could've swum the fly 3 seconds faster :D

@fruitsandpi he is like me! My butterfly sucks, but I compensate grandly with my back, breast and crawl.

9.00 size a those fingers.

you're assuming smoking weed is a mistake

1:00 micheal phelps try hard to be like micheal phelps guy

@daneillcp3 My time for a 500 free is like 5:51, I feel so slow, xD

lochte died so hard in the end

2:34 yakult!

@PandaAttackForce 25 would only just qualify for regionals where im from ;P

SUPER MAN on His Way Home~~ 7:14

@fruitsandpi back halfer..haha.

lol marins fly

@Nizimi123 no i am

@PasteyWhiteLuvAffair He would probably do fine

out of the normal!!! he is a monster!! phelps...the best

uh...... screw phelps. did anyone see how far behind marin was after the fly? yeah.... he almost beat lochte

400 m is nothing i do 5-6 km ever morning and our warm up is 1500 m and we do tht every day

3:20 thank me later