Phelps 5th Qualifier for 1st Individual Event
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Michael Phelps has begun his first individual event of the Rio Olympics in the 200-meter butterfly.
The 19-time gold medalist wasn't the fastest, though.
Phelps finished fifth in the heats on Monday, with a time of 1 minute, 55.73 seconds. He easily advanced to the semifinals at night, unlike teammate Tom Shields, who was 20th. Only the top 16 moved on.
Phelps drew the loudest cheers at the pool, with fans standing up to take photos of him when he appeared at the starting blocks.
A pair of Hungarians had the top two times. Tamas Kenderesi was fastest in 1:54.73 and Laszlo Cseh was second in 1:55.14.
Chad le Clos of South Africa was third in 1:55.57.
Brazilian fans were excited to see their two swimmers -- Leonardo de Deus and Kaio Marcio -- advance to the semifinals.
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