While their rivalry in the pool is becoming legendary and looming as one of the highlights at London, a danger has emerged. On Wednesday, at the US Olympic trials, the pair provided a tantalizing preview of what the world can expect to see in London when they battled each other all the way in the 200-meter freestyle final. Swimming in the lanes next to each other, they eyeballed each other for the entire four-lap race, going stroke for stroke. They were never more than a tenth of a second apart and when they finished the gap was just 0.05, with Phelps getting his hand on the wall first. It was an epic race and the crowd roared in approval after watching the spectacle but the time was slow -- one minute 45.70 seconds, and neither man was impressed. ”In my eyes, 1:45.7 is not going to make the medal podium,” Phelps said. While both safely qualified for the Olympic team, Lochte said he had made a tactical mistake that he could not afford to repeat in London. ”I will definitely change that,” Lochte said.
