After a nine-month hiatus from swimming and two losses last month at the Charlotte Grand Prix, Michael Phelps is back in the game and gearing up for his latest challenge. The Olympian spent the last three weeks at high altitude and is in the process of perfecting a new freestyle stroke technique for the Santa Clara Invitational Grand Prix this weekend. There, he’ll face off with rival Ryan Lochte in the 100 free and 100 back—the two events Phelps lost at Charlotte. That meet was the first since Phelps’s gold medal sweep at the Summer Olympics in Bejing, where he set seven world records. Afterwards, photo emerged of him smoking marijuana and USA Swimming suspended Phelps from competition for three months, making his recent time away from the sport the longest in his career.
