Crown Prince announces medium-term debt strategy to diversify funding sources "A resilient economy capable of overcoming challenges reflects progress towards achieving Vision 2030 goals"    OPEC+ tripartite meeting keen on maintaining global oil market stability    'No excuses' for Israel to not accept ceasefire deal, EU foreign policy chief says    Riyadh Season draws 8 million visitors in 6 weeks    Alkhorayef highlights role of National Initiative for Global Supply Chains in boosting Saudi economy    Saudi Arabia signs investment deals worth SR35bn with foreign firms to strengthen global supply chains    Saudi Arabia unveils updates on Expo 2030 Riyadh master plan at 175th BIE General Assembly Riyadh Expo Development Company established to oversee strategic planning, operations, and legacy development    Saudi FM attends Quadripartite meeting on Sudan in Italy    Georgia's new parliament opens first session amid mass protests and boycott    Gangsters block aid distribution in south Gaza    Russian deserter reveals war secrets of guarding nuclear base    Best-selling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies    Cristiano Ronaldo's double powers Al Nassr to 3-1 win over Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League    Saud Abdulhamid makes history as first Saudi player in Serie A    Al Ahli edges Al Ain 2-1, bolsters perfect start in AFC Champions League Elite    Al-Falih: 1,238 foreign investors obtain premium residency in Saudi Arabia    Most decorated Australian Olympian McKeon retires    Adele doesn't know when she'll perform again after tearful Vegas goodbye    'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam    Do cigarettes belong in a museum?    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Phelps storms into 5th Olympics
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 07 - 2016

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 US 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.
The most decorated athlete in Olympic history is Rio bound.
"With everything that's happened and being able to come back, that was probably harder than any swim I've had in my life," Phelps said. "Just being able to finish how I want to is so important to me. Getting on this team is what I wanted to do."
He wasn't the only one feeling a bit of redemption.
Missy Franklin turned in one of the gutsiest performances of her career to earn a spot for Rio in the 200 freestyle. One night after she struggled to seventh in the 100 backstroke — an event she won four years ago in London — there was plenty of speculation that she'd be hard-pressed to qualify for any individual events at these games.
Franklin herself sounded as though she'd be happy just getting on the team as a relay swimmer.
Turns out, she'll be busier than that in Brazil.
While Katie Ledecky romped to victory in the 200 free, earning a second individual event at the Olympics, Franklin rallied over the second half of the race to claim the runner-up spot.
Franklin's coach, Todd Schmitz, pumped his fists and charged down the steps of the arena to congratulate his bubbly swimmer, one of the biggest stars of the London Games.
She finally had reason to smile.
Phelps held off a stiff challenge from Tom Shields to win the 200 fly — the first event Phelps ever swam at the Olympics, 16 years ago in Sydney.
One day before his 31st birthday, Phelps came full circle in the race he's always considered his baby.
Phelps touched in 1:54.84 — far off the world record of 1:51.51 he set at the 2009 world championships while wearing one of the high-tech suits that have since been banned.
There's time to work on his speed between now and Rio.
For now, Phelps sounds like an Olympic rookie talking about the thrill of going back to the Olympics, where he'll get a chance to add to the already staggering amount of hardware he's accumulated at the last four Summer Games: 18 golds and 22 medals overall.
He also joined a pretty exclusive group with Dara Torres, who made five Olympics on the female side.
"I just said, ‘Welcome to the club,'" the now-retired Torres said. "Just to see his emotions and how excited he was and relieved, it was really nice to see."
After the award ceremony, Phelps ran around the deck to find his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, and their child. They all embraced at the edge of the stands, Phelps leaning in to kiss their boy while Nicole pulled the swimmer's head close to her.
Phelps couldn't help but reflect on his stumbles since London, most notably another DUI arrest in 2014 that prompted him to take a whole new look at his life. He reconnected with his long-estranged father, gave up alcohol and committed himself to closing his career with a flourish.
He had retired after London, but changed his mind.
This time, Phelps insists, it really will be his final Olympics.
"He can share this with his son one day," said Torres, who competed at the Olympics after becoming a mother. "It makes the Olympic experience a little bit different when you have a child."
Ledecky added the 200 free to her rapidly growing Olympic schedule, winning comfortably with a time of 1:54.88. She already won the 400 free and still has two more events to go in Omaha.
But all eyes were on Franklin, who touched in 1:56.18 to edge out Leah Smith by just under a half-second. Allison Schmitt, the defending gold medalist, settled for fourth but that will at least be good enough to get another London star on the team as a relay swimmer.
Ledecky and Franklin embraced on deck after climbing out of the pool.
"She's one tough cookie," Ledecky said. "She got the job done tonight."


Clic here to read the story from its source.