Olympic Swimming Trials 2012: London Struggles Await Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps is not going to be able to flip the proverbial switch between the end of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and the start of the London Games. He's about to come face-to-face with the reality that his days of dominating the competition are over. 

Yes, Phelps has already come a long way. After spending much of the past four years under-performing in the pool, Phelps looks stronger and faster at these trials, despite struggling to maintain  focus and drive following his historic success in Beijing.

So while we watch the swimming legend paddle his way around the pool in the wake of Ryan Lochte, it leaves many to speculate that Phelps is just rounding into form, and he simply needs to qualify for the Olympics. Then, once on the bright swim platforms in London, Phelps will dive into the pool and shred through the water like the uncatchable merman he was in 2008. 

It's not going to happen.  

It is an unreasonable expectation. After all, the Olympics are only a month away, and no one knows better than Phelps that any improvements that can be made in a month are severely limited.

In his book, Michael Phelps: The Untold Story of a Champion, Bob Schaller offered up this quote from Phelps following the 2008 swimming trials: 

"

I am going to prepare for that meet  [the Olympics] just like I do every other meet. There is only so much I can do in a month and then I am going to prepare myself the best that I can.

"

If Phelps was going to be the same kind of dominant force he was in 2008, then he'd be dominating at these trials. When you have four years to point your training towards an event, you don't leave significant work to be done in the last month, and he certainly did not do that in 2008. 

At those trials, Phelps set the world record in the 400- and 200-meter individual medley, he won the 200 freestyle by over a full second and won the 200 and 100 butterfly events. 

At these trials, Phelps is fresh off defeats to Lochte in the 400 IM event he set the world record for in 2008. 

Lochte is a great swimmer himself. Coming in second to him does not mean Phelps is going to be an embarrassment at the Olympics or even come up empty handed. Phelps is still going to be a factor, and he will undoubtedly come home with some hardware. 

However, in 2008 it didn't matter how good the competition was; they didn't have a hope of taking down Phelps. Now the competition has caught up to Phelps, while he has simultaneously slid back to them.

Now he is just part of the pack of medal contenders.

His performance at these Olympics is going to pale in comparison to his last two efforts.