shifts, the team had to fight its way into the International, pa

Michael Phelps is back for a sequel to his Olympic farewell.This time, he insists, it really is goodbye.After retiring and then un-retiring, Phelps will be in Rio as the first U.S. male swimmer to compete in five Olympics. He is already the most decorated athlete in the history of the games, with 18 golds and 22 medals overall, and at age 31 remains the biggest star in a sport that will also feature teen sensation Katie Ledecky and an increasingly diverse pool of potential champions from around the world.Look for Phelps to add significantly to his medal total. He qualified for his three best individual events and will likely be part of all three mens relays on the powerful U.S. team.Just dont expect another comeback.This is it, Phelps said. No more.Sure about that?Im done, he reiterated. The body is done. This is my last one.Phelps initially retired after the London Games, only to backtrack on that decision about 18 months later.Looking back to four years ago, Phelps said he didnt really want to be at the Olympics and wasnt in top condition, even though he was still good enough to capture four golds and two silvers. He came back with a rekindled passion for swimming, only to run into another major challenge when he was arrested for the second time on drunken driving charges.That led Phelps to completely overhaul his personal life. He went into therapy, gave up alcohol, got engaged, made peace with his estranged father and, in the biggest change of all, became a father for the first time when son Boomer was born in May.No matter what happens in Rio, this is how he really wants to go out.Here are some other things to watch at the swimming competition in Rio, which includes open water and the synchronized events:THE KATIE SHOW: Ledecky has gone from a surprise gold medalist in London to one of the worlds most dominant swimmers at age 19. She is the world-record holder and huge favorite in both the 400- and 800-meter freestyle, and could bring home another gold in the 200 free. In addition, she will anchor the 4x200 free relay for the Americans, making them the team to beat.AUSSIE COMEBACK: Australia has traditionally been the second-strongest swimming nation behind the U.S., but the team from Down Under endured a dismal showing in 2012 with only one gold medal and no individual victories. Look for a big comeback in Rio. The Aussies returned to form at last years world championships with seven golds and 16 medals overall. Sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell lead the way, along with Emily Seebohm and Mitch Larkin.NOT SO BUSY: Missy Franklin was one of the big stars in London, winning four golds and a bronze while competing in seven events. The 21-year-old American will have a lot more free time on her hands this time after a disappointing performance at the U.S. trials. Franklin qualified for only two individual events and her relay duties will be limited to the 4x200 freestyle. Its a similar story for another U.S. great, Ryan Lochte. The 11-time Olympic medalist sustained a groin injury on the first day of the U.S. trials and managed to qualify for only one individual race -- a far cry from the six events (four individual, two relays) he had in London.SHADOW OF DOPING: Gold medalists Sun Yang of China and Park Tae-hwan of South Korea will both swim in Rio after serving suspensions for doping. And Yuliya Efimova, one of Russias top medal contenders, was cleared to take part in the Olympics despite her second positive doping test, drawing the ire of many top swimmers. American Elizabeth Beisel said she is worried the competition in Rio wont be clean.HOME TEAM: While Brazil will field its largest swimming squad ever and have the crowd on its side, the home team will be missing its biggest star. World-record holder Cesar Cielo, a three-time Olympic medalist, stunningly failed to qualify at the Brazilian trials. Even so, the local fans should have plenty of reasons to cheer. Established swimmers such as Thiago Pereira, Bruno Fratus and Joana Maranhao are joined by up-and-comers Larissa Oliveira and Etiene Medeiros.LATE NIGHTS: For the second time in three Olympics, the schedule has been altered so the swimming events can be televised live in the U.S. during prime time. The change isnt quite as drastic as eight years ago in Beijing, when preliminaries were held in the evening and the finals the following morning. In Rio, the prelims have been moved back to 1 p.m. local time, while the finals wont begin until 10 p.m. -- both about three hours later than most meets.DIRTY WATER: The 10-kilometer open water races, a part of the Olympics since 2008, will be held against the gorgeous backdrop of Copacabana. The state of the water is not so pretty. There are major health concerns after Brazilian officials failed to live up to their pledge to clean up an ocean contaminated with raw sewage and potentially dangerous bacteria.RUSSIANS IN SYNC: Russias the favorite in synchronized swimming, a sport known for hair gel, nose plugs, garish suits and dazzling showmanship. The Russians have not been beaten at the Olympics since 1996, and their only loss at the last three world championships came in a mixed-gender event that is not part of the Rio program. But if Russia is ultimately banned from the games because of widespread doping, the podium might look much different this time around.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Vapormax 97 Clearance . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Nike VaporMax Plus Bleached Aqua Black+Bleached Aqua-Vivid Sulfur . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/ . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Wholesale Vapormax Flyknit . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Nike Air Vapormax Navy+Multi-Color . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Moving forward, was Peter ppd Dagers response to the question of how Evil Geniuses were recuperating from a rough showing at the Manila Major. The captain of Evil Geniuses had a lot on his mind, and the team could spare only a few minutes after a full day of boot camping.Every response he made was short, direct, honest. Dager didnt like to mince words, and he had little reason to. Evil Geniuses were facing a very different international landscape compared to 2015, and though he said they werent feeling the pressure, there became an inherent level of expectation for this team.Changing the playbookA shift in team dynamic seemed necessary after a disappointing finish in Manila. It was the wake-up call for the American squad, and with The International on the horizon, there wasnt much room in the schedule to slowly work out the issues. Luckily, the replacement offlane EG acquired was a former member of the team. Saahil UNiVeRsE Arora had been with the team when it took home the Aegis at last years International.Coming back wasnt a hard transition, said Arora. Referencing his time with the team in the past, both he and EGs other new addition, Ludwig zai W?hlberg, were quickly getting back up to speed.I played with EG before, so theres no extra pressure, no spotlight, said Arora.According to Dager, the biggest change wasnt in these returning members, but in the changing role of Clinton Fear Loomis. Fear moved from the one-role to a support position after last years International, but since Arora and W?hlbergs return, he has been back in the carry role. Loomis change in roles has his influence extending further into the game, an element that EG has been adjusting to well.The biggest difference in shotcalling is probably Fears role in late-game leadership, said Dager. Moving Fear from the four to the one-role has been the biggest change in shotcalling.Meanwhile, in the mid lane, Syed SumaiL Sumail Hassan has been finding his groove again. The young prodigy made a name for himself at TI5, showcasing fantastic play across a number of heroes. But Storm isnt in the meta anymore, and Sumail has had to adjust his playstyle.dddddddddddd Mirana has been a solid pick-up, but at the recent StarLadder finals, Sumail ran some unusual mids: Oracle and Ancient Apparition, two heroes rarely seen in the middle lane. Dager hinted that they hadnt fully planned to draft either for Sumail, but it came from the mid laners own suggestion.We were a little bit YOLO, Dager said about the unconventional picks. But Sumail felt confident and we trusted him.Preparing for the main eventBoth Dager and Arora said boot camp had been going well, as the team prepped for the big event in Seattle. EG is in the midst of its intensive training for TI6, right off the tail end of a long qualifier run. Due to roster shifts, the team had to fight its way into the International, past a long line of teams aiming for their shot at the throne.When asked about burnout before TI6, though, neither player expressed weariness. This is also the time of the year where teams have to show up, said Dager.EG is no exception. Theres no room for excuses and the landscape certainly isnt the easiest to handle either, as this patch has been the hardest to read. Theres no overarching strategy or theme beyond just teamwork, smart play and capitalizing on mistakes. Dager has found that his team has been fine with this mindset.We have no set playstyle, really, said Dager. So the patch has been good for us.But this years International might be the most competitive yet. There are favorites, but many of the teams could have a shot at the top. Theres six or seven teams who could win TI this year, Dager explained. Hes reticent to divulge the top teams at the event but he does chat a bit about what teams he might root for.NaVi would be a cool team to watch win, said Dager. Referencing the teams recent LAN win at the StarLadder i-League StarSeries finals, EGs captain said it was cool seeing NaVi take home the victory in Los Angeles. Dager also expressed interest in playing Wings at TI6, due to the teams interesting playstyle and drafting. ' ' '