Stars Phelps, Bernard and Cielo sink in Paris

US swim star Michael Phelps, Olympic 100m champion Alain Bernard and dual world champion Cesar Cielo all failed to shine on the first of the two-day Paris Open here on Saturday.

Phelps, the record eight-time gold medal winner at the Beijing Games, finished just eighth in the 100m freestyle final with Bernard knocked out in the heats of the race which was won by France's Fabien Gilot in 48.65.

Brazil's Cielo, the Olympic 50m champion and world champion over 50m and 100m, had to settle for fifth place with a time of 49.23 in an event in which he holds the world record of 46.91. Phelps is a novice over the distance, while Bernard blamed his performance on fatigue as he clocked the 18th fastest time of 50.44sec in the heats. "I felt very bad," said Bernard, a three-time Olympic medallist who holds the best time this season of 48.32 over 100m.

"After 15 metres my legs were in pain. I'm trying not to think about it, to remain focused, but you can be ambitious as you like but when you're tired, you're tired."

Gilot, who has failed to qualify over the distance for the European championships in Budapest in August, finished ahead of 17-year-old compatriot Yannick Agnel and American Nathan Adrian. Phelps last competed in the 100m as part of the US 4x100m relay team at the 2009 world championships.

He easily won the 200m butterfly in 1:55.70 ahead of France's Christophe Lebon 1:59.01.

PARIS, AFP