Ledecky keeps US flag flying with Phelps on sidelines

With Michael Phelps taking the night off, Katie Ledecky flew the US flag at the Mesa Pro Series swimming meeting with a sizzling 400m freestyle victory.

In his first meet since serving the six-month suspension that followed his drunk-driving arrest in September, Phelps on Friday had the night off after failing to qualify for the men's 400m free final.

Phelps had entered the unfamiliar event -- which he last raced at a grand prix meeting in 2009 -- just to challenge himself, having got his latest comeback off to a winning start with a 100m butterfly triumph on Thursday.

Phelps will try to add to his win tally on Saturday, when he is slated to swim the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

But with the 18-time Olympic gold medalist on the sidelines, it was Ledecky who shone for home fans.

The 18-year-old freestyle superstar crushed the field in winning the women's 400m free in 4min 01.95sec, the second-fastest time in the world this year behind the 4:00.47 she clocked in Austin, Texas, in January.

World record-holder Ledecky finished more than eight seconds ahead of Denmark's Lotte Friis (4:10.34) with Allison Schmitt third in 4:13.21.

"I'm pretty happy with where I am right now," said Ledecky, who arrived in Mesa off a high altitude training camp.

The third night of the four-day meeting in suburban Phoenix had a distinctly international flavor.

Hungary's "Iron Lady" of swimming Katinka Hosszu won the 100m backstroke in 1:00.72, with two-time Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe second in 1:00.89 and Ukraine's Iryna Glavynk third in 1:01.84.

Belgium's Louis Croenen, racing in the United States for the first time, broke two minutes to win the men's 200m fly with a time of 1:59.61, holding off American Tyler Clary who was second in 2:00.23.

Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas won the women's 50m free in 24.84sec. Rising US talent Simone Manuel was second in 24.98 and 32-year-old American veteran Natalie Coughlin -- owner of 12 Olympic medals -- was third in 25.15.

Arkady Vyatchanin, who is seeking Serbian citizenship and swimming for his adopted country after winning Olympic backstroke bronze for Russia in 2008, held off reigning Olympic champion Matt Grevers of the United States to win the men's 100m backstroke in 53.84sec.

And Venezuela's Carlos Claverie added the 200m breaststroke title to his 100m victory, clocking 2:14.31 to beat Carl Mickelson by more than two seconds.

Among the Americans to join Ledecky in the winner's circle, Josh Schneider clocked 22.52sec to edge Renzo Tjon A Joe of Suriname for the 50m free title by one one-hundredth of a second.

Michael McBroom won the men's 400m free in 3:50.38, and Breeja Larson won the women's 200m breaststroke in 2:27.82.

Cammile Adams led Katie McLaughlin in a US one-two in the women's 200m fly, relegating Hosszu to third.
Source: AFP