U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps clocked his personal best in the 100m butterfly victory Saturday at the Canada Cup in Montreal with 50.48 seconds.

Michael Phelps laughs as he speaks with reporters following his win in the 100m butterfly at the Canada Cup swimming competition in Montreal June 20, 2009.

Phelps, who won an unprecedented eight Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Games last August, was just eight-hundredths outside the world record of 50.40 held by compatriot Ian Crocker.

He also improved on his personal best time of 50.58 seconds, set in winning gold at Beijing.

Christopher Brady was a distant second in 52.48 seconds and Joe Bartoch was third in 53.58.

Phelps said the performance showed he is on course in his post-Olympic year. His 2009 campaign was disrupted after a published photo of him holding a marijuana pipe prompted a three-month ban by USA Swimming.

The Montreal meeting is the 14-time Olympic gold medallist’s third since Beijing. Last weekend at Santa Clara, California, he won the 200m butterfly and 400m freestyle but was beaten in the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.

”I really feel like I’m in better shape than I was (in Santa Clara),” said Phelps, who will test himself again in the 100m free here on Sunday.

The competition is his final warm-up for the US championships that start in Indianapolis in July 7 as a selection for the world championships in Rome.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet