Michael Phelps was fourth overall in 100m butterfly preliminary heats and 14th in 200m freestyle heats on his opening day of the Pro Swim Series at Charlotte on Friday morning.
The most decorated Olympian of all time, in his second meet of the year, clocked 53.51 seconds in the 100m fly. The top qualifier into Friday night’s final was Tom Shields, who beat Phelps at the 2014 U.S. Championships and touched in 52.87 on Friday morning.
Phelps, Shields and Ryan Lochte (53.62) advanced to Friday night’s top final.
The finals session starts at 6 p.m. ET, streamed on USASwimming.org.
At his first meet this year in Mesa, Ariz., last month, Phelps clocked 52.92 in his preliminary swim in the 100m fly.
Earlier Friday, Phelps swam a 200m free prelim in 1:51.44, 14th fastest across all heats to miss the top eight-swimmer final. Phelps did not swim the 200m free in Mesa, but he did clock 1:51.69 in prelims at last year’s Charlotte meet.
Lochte advanced to the top final in the 200m free on Friday.
In other events, FINA women’s Swimmer of the Year Hungarian Katinka Hosszu was fastest in 200m free prelims, while Olympic champion Allison Schmitt was third overall to make Friday night’s final. Neither World champion Missy Franklin nor Pan Pacific champion Katie Ledecky is competing in Charlotte.