McGill wins 100 butterfly at Missouri Grand Prix

COLUMBIA, Missouri (AP) - Less than six months before what he hopes will be his Olympic debut at the London Games, American Tyler McGill got a big win in the Missouri Grand Prix on Friday.

McGill won the men's 100-meter butterfly, ahead of training partner Fred Bousquet of France and Brazilian Olympian Thiago Pereira.

McGill, 24, led throughout and finished in 52.58 seconds, nearly 1 second in front of Bousquet. Pereira finished third at 53.66. Brazilian Cesar Cielo, the world record holder in the 50 and 100 freestyle, failed to advance from the preliminary round.

McGill's victory follows a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly at the 2011 U.S. nationals and a bronze medal in the same event at last year's world championships.

But rather than revel in the win, McGill noted the absence of event world-record holder Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

"Getting a win is great, but I missed the opportunity to compete against the world's best," McGill said. "Michael is the favorite for London.... The fastest man in the world wasn't here, so it doesn't mean as much.

"He's the only person I'm worried about competing with."

Bousquet, himself a former world record holder in the 50 free, was more effusive in praising his training partner.

"The way he's swimming now, the way he swam last summer at world champs, to me he's the guy that could surprise everyone this summer," Bousquet said.

Brazilian Felipe Lima won the men's 100 breaststroke in 1:00.89, beating Americans Eric Shanteau and Mark Gangloff.

In the night's other marquee race, Felipe Lima of Brazil won the men's 100 breaststroke in 1:00.89, beating Americans Eric Shanteau and Mark Gangloff.

"He's obviously a great racer," said Shanteau, who finished second, 0.22 seconds behind Lima. "He always brings a real good 100 breaststroke. It's fun to get out there and race in the middle of the season like this."

Canadians dominated in other events: winners included Samantha Cheverton in the women's 200 freestyle, Blake Worsley in the men's 200 freestyle, Jillian Tyler in the women's 100 breaststroke and Katerine Savard in the women's 100 fly and Alexa Komarnycky in the women's 400 individual medley.

French swimmer Laure Manaudou, attempting a comeback after a brief retirement following a disappointing performance in the Beijing Games and the birth of her daughter in April 2010, finished 10th in the women's 200 free. Manaudou won the 400 free at the 2004 Athens Games at age 17.