OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Michael Phelps surged to the wall, and then whipped around to spot his time.
That number wasn't really important.
The only thing that mattered was No. 5.
Phelps became the first male swimmer to qualify for five Olympics with a victory in the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Wednesday night, another huge milestone in the water but even more significant given what's happened away from the pool.
A second drunken-driving arrest. A re-evaluation of his life. An impending marriage. And his first child.
With 7-week-old Boomer in the arms of his mother at the CenturyLink Center, Phelps cruised to a victory that meant as much personally as all those triumphs that came before.