INDIANAPOLIS, United States (AFP) - Athens Olympic star Michael Phelps made a relatively relaxed start on the first day of the seventh World Short Course Swim Championship, qualifying second for the 200m freestyle final.
Canada's Richard Say was the fastest qualifier from morning heats for Thursday night's final in 1min, 45.15sec with Phelps second at 1:45.82 and fellow American Ryan Lochte third in 1:46.26.
"I've got to get a little more into it," Phelps admitted. "Tonight is going to be a good race. Hopefully I can pop off a good one."
The 19-year-old American, whose eight medals at Athens included six golds, is the star attraction at the five-day event being contested in a temporary 25m pool at the home arena of the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers.
Phelps won Olympic gold in the 200 and 400 individual medley, 100 and 200 butterfly, the 4x200 free relay and 4x100 medley relay but missed Mark Spitz's record seven golds, settling for 200 freestyle and 4x100 free relay bronzes.
In his first meet since the Games, Phelps is conserving his energy for 10 swims here in five days counting heats and finals.
"Swimming in an NBA arena, it's exciting," Phelps said. "Just having the opportunity to swim in from of the home crowd, that's the main thing. It will be a great environment. I would be ready to see some fast swimming."
Phelps also plans to swim the 400 IM Friday, the 200 IM Saturday, the 100 IM Sunday and the 200 butterfly Monday on the final day of the event, which has more than 600 swimmers from 100 nations.
American Kaitlin Sandeno - who took Athens silver in the 400 IM, bronze in the 400 free and fourth in the 200 butterfly - will attempt a double Thursday, swimming in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM finals.
Sandeno qualified second in both the 200 fly, one-hundredth of a second off American Mary Descenza's top time of 2:08.66, and the 400 IM, her 4:37.23 trailing compatriot Katie Hoff by 1.1 seconds.
Australian Jade Edmistone, who set the world short course record last month, led 50 breaststroke semi-finalists in 30.30 while Canada's Erin Gammel set the pace entering the 100 backstroke semis in 1:00.30.
World record-holder Ian Crocker of the United States led 100 butterfly semi-finalists in 51.47 seconds, well off the global mark of 49.07 he set in March at East Meadow, New York. Crocker was second in the event at Athens.
Germany's Thomas Rupprath, a 4x100 medley relay Olympic silver medallist, led 100 backstroke semi-finalists in 51.74sec while American Brendan Hansen, an Athens triple medallist, paced 100 breaststroke heats in 58.82.