Two world records as Phelps stays on course (2nd Lead)

By Peter Auf der Heyde Aug 10, 2008, 3:38 GMT

Beijing - Two swimming world records were broken Sunday in the first part of the morning session at the Beijing Water Cube as American superstar Michael Phelps stayed on course for an unprecedented eight gold medals.

Phelps won the men's 400m individual medley in world record time, while Australian Stephanie Rice took nearly two seconds off the world record in the women's 400m individual medley.

South Korean teenager Park Taeh Wan, however, gatecrashed the US- Australian party as he took gold in the men's 400m freestyle, thereby becoming the first South Korean to win a swimming gold medal.

In the first event of the morning, Phelps proved far too strong for the rest of the field as his time of 4 minutes 3.84 seconds beat the previous mark of 4:05.25 he swam on June 29 at the US trials in Omaha.

He announced afterwards that he would no longer swim the 400 individual medley.

It was his seventh Olympic gold overall and a 23rd world record.

Hungarian Laszlo Cseh grabbed silver in a European record 4:06.16, while Phelps' friend and compatriot Ryan Lochte won the bronze medal in 4:08.09 in front of a huge crowd including US President George W Bush.

Phelps said that the first thing he saw as he put his head out of the water was the president waving a flag. 'That was a very emotional moment.

'I'm very excited, it was a really good way to start.'

He said that he would now relax before his next swims. 'Eat, sleep and swim. That's all I can do. Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can.'

In the women's 400 individual medly race Rice reclaimed the world record over the distance, becoming the first Australian since Gail Neall in 1972 in Munich to win the event.

Rice clocked 4 minutes 29.45 seconds for her first major title and Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was also below the previous record with 4:29.89 for silver.

Favourite Katie Hoff had to settle for bronze in 4:31.71 and also lost the world record of 4:31.12 she swam on June 29 at the US trials.

Park, meanwhile, pulled away from his rivals to underline his freestyle supremacy in 3:41.86, well off Ian Thorpe's world record 3:40.08 minutes.

Zhang Lin got silver for hosts China in 3:42.44 while the fastest man of the heats, American Larsen Jensen, had to be content with bronze in 3:42.78.

In the women's 100m butterfly, favourites Jessicah Schipper and Lisbeth Trickett moved comfortably into the finals, with American Christine Magnuson pushing in between them.

The women's 4x100m freestyle relay was to be contested later Sunday.