Canada's Ryan Cochrane finished 35 hundredths of a second behind American swimmer Michael Phelps. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)Victoria's Ryan Cochrane pushed American Michael Phelps to the limit in the 400-metre freestyle final at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix on Saturday, finishing a close second to the swimming superstar.
Phelps cruised to an early lead but Cochrane pushed him hard over the final 100 metres at the outdoor competition. The American edged Cochrane by 35-hundredths of a second to take yet another swimming title.
Cochrane finished in 3:48.40, while Phelps won with a time of 3:48.05. Robert Hurley of Australia was third in 3:48.49.
While Phelps was perhaps the biggest story at the 2008 Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals, Cochrane was the bright light of the Canadian swimming team. He won Canada's only medal in the pool, a bronze in the 1,500 freestyle.
With files from The Associated Press