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2012 London Olympics: Michael Phelps Barely Qualifies For 400M IM Final

The first full day of competition has begun at the 2012 London Olympic Games, and one of the biggest stars of this year's Olympiad, Baltimore's Michael Phelps, is off to a rocky start.

The winner of eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps began this year's games with qualifying on Saturday for the 400 meter individual medley, and almost missed the evening's final.

Phelps won his heat, finishing in 4 minutes, 13.33 seconds, barely edging Hungary's Laszlo Cseh, who finished in 4 minutes, 13.40 seconds. That time, however, was only good enough for the eight and final spot in the final, placing Phelps in an outside lane tonight. Phelps' American teammate and chief competition, Ryan Lochte, finished second in his heat and qualified in third place overall for the final.

Viewers with a cable, satellite, or telco subscription can also view all of Saturday's events live online by going here.

For more on the Olympics, head over to SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics Hub.