Michael Phelps Results from Monday at Phillips 66 National Championships 2015

The breaststroke isn't Michael Phelps' best race, but the prolific swimmer took to the water at the Phillips 66 National Championships in San Antonio on Monday to give it his best shot.

Phelps posted a career-best time during his 200-meter swim at two minutes and 11.30 seconds, according to SwimSwam Live. It was good enough for fifth place in Phelps' only competition of the night.

Here is a look at the results for the 200-meter breaststroke from the U.S. Nationals, courtesy of OmegaTiming.com:

Place	Swimmer	Time
1	Craig Benson	2:09.68
2	Will Licon	2:10.02
3	Andrew Wilson	2:10.35
4	Michael Jameison	2:10.91
5	Michael Phelps	2:11.30

Craig Benson took the top prize because of a sensational finish that saw him cover the final 50 meters in a ridiculous 32.33 seconds. The next-closest time in that stretch was Andrew Wilson, who came in third with a 33.74 to close. Phelps' final stretch timed out to be 34.04. It wasn't bad, but Phelps needed something along the lines of Benson's finish to pull off an improbable upset.

More known for his prowess in freestyle and the butterfly, Phelps showcased his versatility and suggested he has plenty in the tank for another Olympic run at the upcoming 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports highlighted how Phelps' time stacked up with that of a rising American swimming prodigy:

At age 30, Phelps is evidently keeping in excellent shape. Having already won the 100- and 200-meter butterfly along with the 200 individual medley at these U.S. Nationals, there is plenty of reason to still believe in the 18-time Olympic gold medalist.

Philip Hersh of the Los Angeles Times weighed in on Phelps' future outlook in light of what he did Monday:

Because of his DUI and resulting suspension from the World Championships, the Olympics will be the primary focus for Phelps moving forward. Although there may be other appearances between now and then to stay in competitive shape, most will have an eye toward Rio with regard to Phelps, especially after the display he put on in San Antonio.

The attention on the looming butterfly battle with South Africa's Chad Le Clos will only intensify after Phelps' emphatic reinforcement of the former's comments from this past weekend.

"I'm just very happy that he's back to his good form, so he can't come out and say, 'Oh, I haven't been training' or all that rubbish that he's been talking," said Le Clos, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "Next year is going to be Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier."

By even choosing to compete in the breaststroke in the U.S. Nationals, there's no denying Phelps is taking his comeback from retirement seriously. The world-best times he posted in his recent three wins indicate Phelps is still fully capable of hanging tough with the best on the planet for at least one more Summer Olympics.

For Phelps to continue pushing boundaries and expanding his arsenal shows he isn't content to rest on his laurels, despite being the most decorated aquatic athlete ever. His desire to press on is part of what makes him so great—and why fans ought to continue embracing him, problems away from the water aside.