Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. ó Michael Phelps just missed setting another world record at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol displayed how to do it.
Racing about 10 minutes apart, Coughlin and Peirsol broke their own marks in the 100-meter backstroke Tuesday on another lightning-quick night at the temporary pool in Americaís heartland.
Their records were the fifth and sixth of the meet ó with five days left ó and they were wearing the Speedo LZR Racer, which upped its tally of world marks to 44 since debuting in February.
Phelps made a dogged run at perhaps the most impressive record on his resume, the time of 1 minute, 43.86 seconds from the 200-meter freestyle at last yearís world championships. He was right on pace as he powered toward the wall, but he touched with only the third-fastest time in history, 1:44.10.
Coughlin became the first woman to break 59 seconds just one day after she reclaimed the world record in the preliminaries. She touched in 58.97, locking up the first of perhaps as many as six races she could swim in Beijing.
Peirsol showed heís still king of the backstroke, beating a strong field and his own record in the 100 back at 52.89, ahead of the 52.98 from last yearís worlds.