Santo Condorelli stuns Michael Phelps, wins silver at U.S swim event
Kenora, Ont., native 0.01 second off gold-medal winner
It's not often American swimming icon Michael Phelps loses in one of his signature events. It's even rarer when one of those competitors that have bested him includes a Canadian.
But both happened on Thursday night at the first stop on the U.S Pro Swim Series circuit in Minneapolis, Min.
Canadian Santo Condorelli edged the great Phelps in the 100-metre butterfly en route to a silver medal. Condorelli touched the wall in 52.58 seconds, 0.41 seconds ahead of the 18-time Olympic champion.
Condorelli, of Kenora, Ont., was only 0.01 seconds behind gold medal winner Giles Smith of the U.S.
<a href="https://twitter.com/santocondorelli">@santocondorelli</a> That was a great fly race, glad you had a good finish. Well done. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArenaProSwim?src=hash">#ArenaProSwim</a>
—@Mr__Simon__The Canadian established himself as a potential medal contender for next summer's Olympic Games with a fourth-place finish in the 100m freestyle at the FINA world championships in Kazan, Russia this past summer.
Two-time world championship finalist Noemie Thomas, of Richmond, B.C., added a bronze in the women's 100m butterfly with a time of 58.23. Kelsi Worrell of the U.S., and her compatriot Dana Vollmer, finished 1-2 in 57.91 and 58.07, respectively.
Edmonton's Richard Funk was sixth in the men's 100m breaststroke, and Vancouver's Emily Overholt of finished seventh in the women's 400m individual medley.
With files from Swimming Canada