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Michael Phelps and his coach called his first final swim in nearly eight months “OK,” a victory in the 100m butterfly in Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday night.
Phelps, in his first meet since the Pan Pacific Championships in August, clocked 52.38 seconds to prevail by .73 of a second over longtime friendly rival Ryan Lochte (full results here | race video).
“I’m always hard on myself, but being the first race back I think it’s OK,” Phelps said on Universal Sports, wrapping himself in a white towel on the pool deck shortly after the race.