Phelps stays on course - by centimetres - as records tumble (Roundup)

By Peter Auf der Heyde Aug 11, 2008, 5:12 GMT

Beijing - American superstar Michael Phelps' attempt to win an unprecedented eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics stayed on track Monday, but just by centimetres.

It took a gigantic final effort from teammate Jason Lezakby in the US 4x100m freestyle relay anchor leg to beat France in the world record time of 3 minutes 8.24 seconds.

In the same event, Australian opening swimmer Eamon Sullivan broke the 100m world record in a time of 47.24.

The two records set in the relay brought the day's tally to four, with Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry and Japan's Kosuke Kitajima providing the othet two in the 100m breaststroke women's semis and men's final for seven records overall in the Beijing Water Cube.

The final race of the session provided the most excitement as Phelps' record attempt seemed to flounder in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Australia's opener Sullivan broke the 100m record set by Frenchman Alain Bernard earlier this year. Sullivan swam 47.24, shaving 0.26 off the old record to give the Australians the lead from America, for whom Phelps swum first.

France then pushed ahead and their anchor Bernard had a 0.41 lead going into the final lap. He turned first and looked on course to beat the Americans, but their oldest swimmer, 32-year-old Jason Lezak, managed a remarkable comeback to push past Bernard on the final centimetres.

The US team slashed an astonishing 3.99 seconds off the world record they set in Sunday's semi-finals. France swam a European record 3:08.32 minutes and Australia took bronze with 3:09.91 as the top five teams were faster than the 15-hour-old former record from a US reserve team in the heats.

Phelps, who threw up his arms at the end and cheered loudly, said that he could see that the race was going to be very close.

'It was unbelievable. Jason finished the race better than we could have asked for. In the last 50 metres, I was like, this was going to be a really close race. Jason in the last 50 metres was incredible. At the end, as you could see, I was pretty excited, I was very emotional.'

He said that his team had not been concerned about the French saying before the race that they would win.

'We just let our swimming do the talking. We didn't react to it. It just got us fired up,' said Phelps.

The first gold medal of the day went to Australian Lisbeth Trickett, who won the women's 100m butterfly in 56.73 seconds from Christine Magnuson of the US (57.10) and Jessicah Schipper of Australia (57.25), missing the eight-year-old world record of Dutch Inge de Bruijn by a mere 12 hundredth.

Trickett, who already owns a gold medal from the 4x100m freestyle relay in Athens, where she also won bronze over 50m freestyle, said that she did not expect to win gold.

'It's more than I could have dreamed of. More than anything I am relieved. Before the race I felt like I was going to vomit, I was so nervous.

'Then, as I walked out, I felt this amazing sense of calm come over me. More than anything, I wanted to walk away with no regrets.

'To come out with not only a gold medal, but a personal best in these circumstances is really more than I could have dreamed of.'

In the men's 100m breaststroke, Kitajima repeated his gold medal performance from Athens when he won in a world record time of 58.91 seconds, taking 0.22 seconds off the previous mark of 59.13 seconds set by American Brendan Hansen two years ago.

Alexander Dale Oen gave Norway a first swim medal, a silver in 59.20, and Frenchman Hugues Duboscq took bronze in 59.37 seconds.

Kitajima said he had been hoping for a time under 59 seconds.

'This is what I have been hoping for and I won with that time. When I saw the screen I thought it said 59.90 and I though it was terribly slow, but I checked it again and it was 58,' said the Japanese.

Briton Rebecca Adlington stunned American favourite Katie Hoff in the women's 400m freestyle, winning in 4:03.22. Adlingtonwas lying just fourth at the last turn, but pulled out all the stops on the last lap to edge out her American rival by just 0.07.

Adlington's compatriot Joanne Jackson was third in a time of 4:03.52.

In the women's 100m breaststroke semis, Coventry had 58.77 seconds to break the world record of 58.97 set by Natalie Coughlin at the US trials last month.

Coventry, who won the silver medal in the 400m individual medley on Sunday, said that she expects a tough race against her American rival in the final.

'When I went into the race, I was not thinking of breaking the world record, I just wanted to have a good swim. My preparations for the Games were ideal.

'I am just very happy with my life at the moment, my parents are here, my boyfriend is here and that just helps me swim fast,' the 24- year-old Coventry said.

US president George W Bush was again on hand to see American super star Michael Phelps in the semi-finals of the men's 200m freestyle, where he finished third in his heat behind compatriot Peter Vanderkaay and Korean Park Taeh Wan.

Phelps is going for an unprecedented eight gold medals at these Games and needs just two more gold medals to become the most successful Olympian of all-times.