Michael Phelps: 100m Fly Is Phelps' Most Important Event in London

Michael Phelps' most important event in the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games is going to be the 100-meter butterfly.

That is the perhaps his weakest event, even though he narrowly holds the world record on the long course with a 49.82 second time, .19 seconds faster than competitor and one-time record holder Milorad Cavic.

Cavic is also the man that Phelps narrowly and controversially beat for in the event for the gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Games. It was the only competition where he did not set a new world record, although it proved to be the one that tied him with Mark Spitz for seven gold medals at a single Olympic Games (Phelps would go on to break that days later).

In that epic 2008 100-meter butterfly race, it was initially judged that Phelps had touched the wall .01 seconds before Cavic, but the alleged runner-up and the Serbian Olympic committee protested the results.

Omega, the event’s timekeeper eventually admitted that Cavic was the rightful winner in 2009.

Aside from the controversy in ’08, Phelps also barely made it into the event in 2012. He had to rally at the U.S. trials in Omaha to overcome Tyler McGill and finish in first back in early July.

If Phelps can somehow pull off an impressive win against the best in the world in the 100-meter fly, it bodes extremely well for his chances to win seven gold medals.

Yes, just seven, as the 14-time gold medalist has elected to skip the 200-meter free, an event that he occasionally struggles in.

Now that Phelps has eliminated one of those stressful competitions, he can spend more time focusing on having a strong 100-meter butterfly and winning all the gold and glory possible.