MICHAEL PHELPS FIRST COMPETITON SINCE BEIJING LIVE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS
Live TV and Online Coverage of 2009 Charlotte UltraSwim Begins Friday
LOS ANGELES – May 12, 2009 – Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in U.S. history with 14 gold medals and 16 total medals takes his first dip in the pool since the Beijing Games at the 2009 Charlotte UltraSwim LIVE on Universal Sports beginning this Friday. He is joined by Olympians Ryan Lochte, Katie Hoff, Aaron Peirsol and Cullen Jones in the first major swimming meet for Team USA since the Beijing Olympic Games. Universal Sports presents LIVE coverage of the event from Charlotte, North Carolina, starting with Phelps’ first heat in the pool, this Friday at 10 a.m. ET. Live TV and online coverage will continue with the remaining heats from 6 – 8 p.m. ET this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Phelps plans to race the 100m butterfly; 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle; and the 100m backstroke events.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports Olympic swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines will provide commentary for the event alongside Steve Schlanger.
COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS AND UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: Universal Sports, available in 45 million homes, and UniversalSports.com will present live coverage of the Charlotte UltraSwim events beginning this Friday. Complete racing schedule, as well as highlights, full-length videos, photos, breaking news and more available at UniversalSports.com/swimming.
Date Events Time (all times ET)
Friday 200m FREESTYLE HEATS (LIVE) 10 – 10:30 a.m.
DAY 1 (LIVE) 6 – 8 p.m.
Saturday DAY 2 (LIVE) 6 – 8 p.m.
Sunday DAY 3 (LIVE) 6 – 8 p.m.
MICHAEL PHELPS FIRST DIP IN THE POOL SINCE BEIJING: Michael Phelps will be competing for the first time since his appearance at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games where he captured eight gold medals, setting the record for most gold medals ever won at a single Olympics and his 14 total gold medals and 16 total Olympic medals makes him the most decorated U.S. Olympian in history.
ABOUT THE EVENT: The Charlotte UltraSwim is the fifth stop on the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series. The series has included Grand Prix events in Minneapolis, Long Beach (Calif.), Columbia (Mo.), Austin (Texas), and will conclude with Santa Clara International Grand Prix from June 11-14. The swimmer with the most points at the end of the series will be the winner of the $20,000 grand prize. Michael Phelps was the winner of the 2007-2008 Grand Prix Series and received the first ever $20,000 grand prize offered for the event.
ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on television and online. Universal Sports is a 24-hour television channel now available in nine of the top 10 DMAs including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.TV
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