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GOLD COAST, Australia -- Michael Phelps got a reminder of just how challenging his return to international competition may be when he was asked whether he was good enough to even reach a final at the Pan Pacific Championships this week. Tony Dorsett Womens Jersey . "Wow, youre really setting the bar high for me!" the most decorated swimmer of all time joked in reply. Sitting beside him at a news conference Wednesday, Phelps long-time coach Bob Bowman chipped in: "Reality check there." The Pan Pacs start Thursday and run through the weekend. Its stage two of Phelps comeback from retirement -- the first was qualifying for the U.S. team. Now Bowman is predicting Phelps will lower his best times in his butterfly, medley and freestyle, saying the challenge of going faster was the only reason the 18-time Olympic champion came back to the sport. Phelps qualified by finishing second in the 200-meter medley and the 100 butterfly at the U.S. nationals, and will be swimming in his first international meet since coming out of retirement four months ago with the aim of competing again at the world titles and Olympics. Only the top two swimmers from each country qualify for the finals, so Phelps is going to be under pressure from his American teammates in the morning preliminaries, and from the best swimmers from Australia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and other Pacific countries in the evening finals. Hell start with the 100 freestyle on Friday, which will feature seven Americans in the heats. Hell also contest the 100 butterfly, the 200 medley and potentially some relays. Phelps didnt win any of his four events at the U.S. nationals, although his times in the 200 IM and the butterfly were both among the fastest three in the world this year. He was unhappy with his freestyle, where his finish let him down. He said it was the kind of mistake an 11-year-old would make. Phelps, who won eight of his 18 Olympic gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, said he was "kind of rusty on judging the speed going into my walls," and described his turns as "awful." "Those were the big things that I guess I forgot how to do," he said. "Not winning, it is what it is -- I hate to lose -- but I always do understand its not going to come back instantly. "I would rather have those instances now than farther down the road. World championships is next year ... Olympics the year after that. Hopefully Ill be able to fix the things now." The U.S. team had a setback ahead of the competition, with Olympic and world champion Missy Franklin in doubt after hurting her back in training. Team USA spokesman Scott Leightman said Franklin had back spasms during practice Tuesday. The 19-year-old Franklin was resting at the team hotel after medical staff controlled the spasms and issued a statement later Wednesday saying she was feeling better with every hour and still hopeful of competing. Leightman said Franklin, who won both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at the 2012 Olympics and claimed six golds at the world championships last year, would be re-evaluated before the preliminaries of the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle on Thursday. The Australian team is primed for a big performance at home after a winning the swimming competition at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. The competition will be held outdoors at the Gold Coast Aquatic Center, site of the 2018 Commonwealth Games swimming, and rain forecast for later in the week is giving swimmers something extra to think about. Phelps said it would be a novel experience for him. His friend and long-time rival, Ryan Lochte, said he grew up in Florida and was used to competing in rain. "You have to prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario. The coaches told us about the weather conditions -- were all prepared for it," he said. Lochte and Phelps have long dominated the 200 IM, but arent even seeded No. 1 at the Pan Pacs. Japans Kosuke Hagino has the fastest time of the year and his teammate Diaya Seto is also a contender. "Its no longer just me and Michael. Its definitely become a bigger event, and bigger race," Lochte said. If Franklin is ruled out, more attention on the U.S. womens team will centre on 17-year-old Katie Ledecky, who broke the 400 freestyle world record at the nationals and now holds world marks in the 400, 800 and 1,500. "I can improve. I got some good work in after nationals. Im really excited to see what I can do here," Ledecky said. Tony Romo Jersey. -- Jermaine Marshall scored eight of his 29 points in the second overtime and Jordan Bachynski blocked T. Rolando McClain Womens Jersey . The Olympic hockey rookies will face top-seeded and 2006 Olympic champion Sweden on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Kopitar, who plays for the Los Angeles Kings, is the only NHL player on the Slovenia squad. His father, Matjaz, is the national teams coach. PERTH, Australia -- Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard each won their matches to give Canada a 3-0 victory over Italy in a group tie at the Hopman Cup on Thursday. But that was not quite enough to give the team a berth in Saturdays final. Poland narrowly reached the championship by winning a set in mixed doubles against Australia to mathmatically clinch and then went on to win the evening tie 2-1. Canada would have needed an Australian victory to reach the final. Montreals Bouchard needed only 15 minutes on court for a 4-0 victory as Flavia Pennetta quit with right wrist pain to hand Canada a 1-0 lead. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., hammered 10 aces and 21 winners in his 6-2, 6-4 win to keep Italys Andrea Seppi winless over six matches and two editions in Perth. Canada won the mixed in a walkover due to Pennettas injury absence. The 23-year-old Raonic said hes pleased with his improving form as the Australian Open start approaches on January 13. "I played much better today, it was night and day between today and my previous two matches," said Raonic. "I had to take matters into my own hands, thats something weve been working oon.Roger Staubach Jersey. I took the initiative today. "We are leading into a Grand Slam, and you want to make the most of every competitive opportunity." Bouchard would have preferred to have played a proper match against Pennetta, who said that she woke up feeling poorly with the wrist pain, which she also felt at times last season when she returned to the WTA after surgery. "Its disappointing not to play a full match, but Flavia was having problems," said Bouchard, 19. "I was excited to play. "Its also tough to play an injured opponent, it can do things to your game. But I was playing with confidence, I believe in my game and am confident. I feel good, Ive had a good start to the year." Bouchard was playing for the first time since Canadas last group match Sunday. On her one of days off, she visited a horse show and also advised Raonic against going swimming with non-lethal sharks in the city aquarium, which he did anyway in a publicity effort for the event. The 32nd-ranked Bouchard had previously beat Australian Samantha Stosur and fell to Pole Agnieszka Radwanska prior to the Pennetta result. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
