Michael Phelps finished second in the 200-meter butterfly of the Santa Clara International Grand Prix yesterday, losing to Australia's Nic D'Arcy with just a one-tenth of a second margin.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the event was hardly at his dominating best, getting chased down in the final 25 meters. D'Arcy touched the wall in 1 minute, 55.39 seconds.

Phelps hadn't lost the 200m fly in almost nine years and now has dropped three in a row.

The two other losses came from China's Wu Peng.