Michael Phelps has plenty of work to do before the swimming World Championships in Shanghai in July, as a sixth-place finish in the 200m free at the Charlotte UltraSwim showed.

Phelps, swimming in lane one after notching just the seventh-fastest qualifying time, finished 1.34 seconds behind race winner Dominik Meichtry of Switzerland.

Phelps, whose 14 Olympic gold medals include the eight he won in a dazzling Beijing Olympics campaign, has yet to regain the dominance he lost in the wake of that unprecedented performance.

He admitted he was just relieved to be in the 200m free final, after watching Ricky Berens and Ryan Lochte storm through the heats.

“I was just praying to get in,” said Phelps. “I watched Ryan and Ricky go off in their heats, and wondered if I’d end up in the B heat.”

Meichtry won the race in 1:48.55, triumphing over a field that featured six Olympians – including all of the US 4x200m freestyle relay team.

“It’s better for me to swim fast, get out front, and hold on, rather than try to catch the field,” said Meichtry, who swam for Switzerland in Beijing himself.