Phelps' first swim a good one, but Lochte looms

Club Wolverine swimming standout Michael Phelps officially began his march toward eight gold medals at the upcoming Beijing Olympics with his preliminary swim Sunday in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

Phelps clocked 4 minutes, 13.43 seconds to win the final heat, but former University of Florida standout Ryan Lochte recorded the fastest qualifying mark of 4:13.38 in the next-to-last heat to secure his place in lane 4 in tonight's final, with Phelps swimming in lane 5.

Phelps, the world record-holder in the event at 4:06.22, clocked 4:12.01 in the prelims at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne en route to setting the world record. Lochte, the silver medalist in Australia, posted a mark of 4:13.71 in the prelims, before clocking 4:09.74 in the final, the seventh-fastest time in event history.

Only Phelps and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh have gone faster than Lochte.

It should be an incredible battle between Phelps and Lochte in tonight's final shortly after 5 p.m. PDT.