Sat 16 August 2008 10:00 Morning Session
- Women's 200m Backstroke Final
GOLD: 2:05.24 WR Kirsty Coventry, ZIM
SILVER: 2:06.23 Margaret Hoelzer, USA
BRONZE: 2:07.13 Reiko Nakamura, JPN
5. 2:08.23 Elizabeth Beisel, USA
- Men's 100m Butterfly Final
GOLD: 50.58 OR Michael Phelps, USA
SILVER: 50.59 Milorad Cavic, SRB
BRONZE: 51.12 Andrew Lauterstein, AUS
4. 51.13 Ian Crocker, USA
- Women's 800m Freestyle Final
GOLD: 8:14.10 Rebecca Adlington, GBR
SILVER: 8:20.23 Alessia Filippi, ITA
BRONZE: 8:23.03 Lotte Friis, DEN
- Men's 50m Freestyle Final
GOLD: 21.30 OR Cesar Cielo Filho, BRA
SILVER: 21.45 Amaury Levaux, FRA
BRONZE: 21.49 Alain Bernard, FRA
5. Ben Wildman-Tobriner, USA
- Women's 50m Freestyle Semifinal - Top 8 Advance to Finals
1. 24.27 Dara Torres, USA
2. 24.42 Cate Campbell, AUS
3. 24.43 Britta Steffen, GER
4. 24.46 Marleen Veldhuis, NED
5. 24.74 Lisbeth Trickett, AUS
6. 24.52 Hinkelien Schreuder, NED
7. 24.63 Kara-Lynn Joyce, USA
8. 24.72 Aleksandra Gerasimenya, BLR
WR = World Record
Olympic Results and Event Schedule
Olympic Swimming Headquarters
Full Results From the Olympic Swimming Pool
USA Swimming Report: Michael Phelps Wins Seventh Olympic Gold In Beijing
Michael Phelps won his seventh gold medal Saturday at the National Aquatics Center, winning the men’s 100m butterfly in an Olympic record time of 50.58. Phelps’ effort was one of two medals for the United States on the seventh day of competition, with Margaret Hoelzer taking silver in the women’s 200m backstroke in 2:06.23. That brings Team USA’s total medal count to 28 – 11 gold, 7 silver and 10 bronze.Two world records fell in Saturday’s final, the first to Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe in the women’s 200m back (2:05.24). Then Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington broke the world record in the women’s 800m freestyle in 8:14.10. The former world record of 8:16.22 was set by distance legend Janet Evans in 1989 and was the oldest world record in the books.
Phelps has now tied 1972 Olympian Mark Spitz for the most gold medals won at a single Olympics. In addition to his gold medal Saturday, he has also won gold in the 200m free, the 200m fly, the 200m IM, the 400m IM, the 400m free relay and the 800m free relay. Saturday’s race was the only one he did not win in world-record time. In fact, he came close to not winning at all, out-touching Serbia’s Milorad Cavic by just one-hundredth of a second.
Phelps was seventh at the turn, trailing Cavic by more than half a second. As the two raced down the homestretch, Phelps pulled even with about 20 meters to go and the two swam stroke-for-stroke to the wall. As Cavic reached for the touchpad, Phelps took an extra half stroke and somehow, someway managed to get his hands on the wall first. No one in the Water Cube, including Phelps, knew he won until the times flashed on the scoreboard. Andrew Lauterstein of Australia took the bronze in 51.24, just one-hundredth of a second ahead of world-record holder and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Ian Crocker.
“When I took that last half stroke, I thought I lost the race right there, but it turns out that was the difference,” Phelps said. “I’m just at a loss for words. I feel a little bit of everything – relief, excitement, everything. “I had to take my goggles off to make sure the No. 1 was next to my name. When I saw that ‘1’ next to my name, that’s when I sort of let my roar out.”
The race was so close that FINA officials checked the back-up timing system and reviewed the official video afterward to confirm the outcome. They concluded that there was “no doubt whatsoever” that Phelps won the race.
“It was very clear that (Cavic) touched second behind Michael Phelps,” FINA referee Ben Ekumbo said. “One was stroking while the other was gliding.” Phelps will be going for his eighth Olympic gold medal Sunday as a member of the U.S. 400m medley relay. “I’m happy, but it’s not over yet,” Phelps said. “I think the Australian team looks really great for tomorrow. It’s going to be a race. I’m looking forward to it.”
In the women’s 200m backstroke, Coventry was out ahead of world-record pace from the start and steadily built her lead on Hoelzer at each turn. Hoelzer made a little charge towards the end of the race but ultimately finished .99 seconds behind her former Auburn University teammate. Reiko Nakamura of Japan won bronze in 2:07.13, while the USA’s Elizabeth Beisel was fifth in 2:08.23.
Coventry’s record was .85 seconds faster than the former world record of 2:06.09, held by Hoelzer. It was Hoelzer’s second medal of the meet after winning bronze in the 100m back.
“The beautiful thing about backstroke is that you don’t really know where you are,” Hoelzer said. “I knew I was in the race at the turns, but I don’t really race for medals. I’m just trying to beat my personal bests. “I’m very pleased. Everybody goes into the race wanting to win, but it’s an improvement on my bronze in the 100, so overall I’m very happy.”
Adlington finished more than six seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the women’s 800m free, with Alessia Filippi of Italy taking silver in 8:20.23 and Lotte Friis of Denmark taking bronze in 8:23.03. Cesar Cielo of Brazil won the men’s 50m free in an Olympic record time of 21.30, followed by Amaury Leveaux of France in 21.45 and Alain Bernard of France in 21.49. American Ben Wildman-Tobriner finished fifth in the 50 in 21.64.
Semifinals
Dara Torres was the top seed in the semifinals of the women’s 50m free in 24.27, while Kara Lynn Joyce qualified seventh for tomorrow’s finals in 24.63. The women’s 50m free was the only semifinal contested Saturday. The swimming competition concludes Sunday with the finals of the women’s 50m free, the men’s 1500m free, the men’s 400m medley relay and the women’s 400m medley relay.
