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London. Snow flurries glimpsed from the windows of the Manchester Aquatics Center supplied an incongruous backdrop on Thursday for Michael Phelps to discuss his first competitive venture in a British pool.

To add to the vaguely surreal atmosphere, Phelps, with a woollen hat pulled firmly down across his ears in a concession to the cold, was invited to discuss the marital indiscretions of fellow American Tiger Woods.

Phelps, banned for three months after a photo showed him allegedly smoking marijuana at a party last year, did not duck the question.

After wishing Woods all the best, he said: “I would be the first to admit I’ve made a lot of mistakes both in and out of the pool. The mistakes that I have made, I have never made that same mistake again and I’ve helped other people not make the same mistakes.”

Such honesty from the 14-time Olympic champion shone through a weekend in which the US swimming team thumped a European team selected from Britain, Italy and Germany.

On land, it is not immediately apparent why Phelps is the athlete described by awestruck Briton James Goddard as “the greatest athlete, the greatest sports person of all time.”

Phelps, even without the woollen hat, appears a gangling, not particularly coordinated college kid. On the blocks, his pale body clad only in the textile shorts, which will be compulsory from Jan. 1, formed a startling contrast to the sleek black body suits of his rivals.

As Goddard had already admitted, there were no crises of conscience among the Europeans at wearing a performance-boosting suit, which is still legal, if it meant beating the great Michael Phelps.

On Friday, Phelps helped the 4x100-meter medley relay team to a world short-course record before winning the 100-meter butterfly by 0.05 seconds. He finished third in the 100-meter freestyle.

Saturday was less successful for Phelps, if not for the Americans, who romped to an overwhelming victory.

Phelps was again part of a record-breaking relay team but was beaten into second place in the 200-meter butterfly by Manchester law student Michael Rock.

Rock could not contain his excitement. “It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever achieved, beating the Olympic champion, beating the greatest swimmer of our generation,” he enthused.

Phelps was asked if he had been beaten by a suit or a man.

“I was beaten because he was much better than I was in this race,” he replied. “The race is over, he swam a better race than I did, he was more prepared.”

The defeat meant little to the fans, who were still requesting autographs long after the conclusion of the two-day meet. Phelps conscientiously met their demands before addressing the tasks ahead before the 2012 London Olympics.

“I’d rather lose a race right now than when it really counts,” he said. “I think the biggest day I’m looking forward to is the world championships [2011] and the Olympics after that.”

Before the meet, Phelps said he would not be swimming eight events in London but did not state what he had planned.

“The goals I have for London are very high, very challenging,” he said. “They’re something that excite me.

“If I can achieve those and then hang up my suit and goggles, I can know I’ve done everything I could and wanted to do in the sport.”

A gold medal in each individual event? The next two years, and certainly the 2011 world championships, will provide the clues.

Swimming

Reuters