Phelps stays on course to make history

Mar 26, 2007, 5:06 GMT

Melbourne - American swimming star Michael Phelps stayed on course Monday for a historic eight gold medals at the world championships in Melbourne.

The 21-year-old, who on Sunday already equalled Australian Grant Hackett's record of 11 world championship gold medals when he swam the opening leg of the American 4x100-metre freestyle relay, on Monday had no problems advancing to the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle, allowing only Dutchman Pieter Van Den Hoogenband to better his time of one minute, 47.52 seconds.

Phelps has entered the 200m freestyle, the 200m and 400m medley, and the 100m and 200m butterfly and is likely to swim in all three US relay teams, giving him a daunting task of 17 races in just eight days.

One of the swimmers expected to push Phelps all the way, South African Ryk Neethling, withdrew from the event before the start.

In the women's 100m backstroke, Natalie Coughlin and Kirsty Coventry were the fastest in the heats and led the swimmers into the semi-finals.

France's Laure Manaudou, who entered one event more than Phelps but withdrew from the 200 medley Sunday to concentrate on the 400m freestyle, in which she won gold, qualified for the semi-finals with the fourth fastest time.

A short while later, she also qualified for the 1,500m freestyle after winning her heat.

American Tara Kirk showed local favourite Leisel Jones that she might not have it all her own way in the 100m breaststroke as she posted the fastest time in the heats with 1:07.23, beating Jones by 0.3 seconds.

Jones, though, said she was not worried about her performance. 'It's just about getting out there,' she said. 'The heats are about relaxing, they are just a practice race.

'It was hard to remember that it was a heat swim with all the crowd there. We had a lot of school kids in the crowd, and it was hard to back off.'

She said she had no intention of swimming a record in the semi- finals: 'I'm just going to take it easy.'

Austrian Markus Rogan, who has won four silver medals at the Olympics and European Championships but is still waiting for his first gold in the men's 100m backstroke, finished with the fastest time in the heats.

His 54.34 beat Liam Tancock of Briton by 0.2 seconds.

Monday's finals at the Rod Laver Arena sees the men's 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly as well as the women's 100m butterfly and the 200m medley.