CHARLOTTE, N.C.� Using his new windmill stroke for an entire lap, Michael Phelps has tied for the fastest time in the preliminaries of the 100-meter freestyle at the Charlotte UltraSwim.

Phelps, swimming in the next-to-last heat, advanced to the evening final with a time of 49.50 seconds, which was matched by fellow Olympian Ricky Berens.
Another U.S. Olympian, Cullen Jones, was third fastest at 49.75, while France�s Frederick Bousquet moved on with the fourth-best time, 49.81. Bousquet is world-record holder in the 50 free.
Phelps used his normal bent-arm stroke on the outward lap Sunday morning, but straightened his arms for the return � a motion that uses more energy but should produce the additional speed he is looking for in the sprint race.