History written: Phelps wins No. 8

(L-R) Hansen, Phelps, Peirsol and Lezak hold the American flag

Peirsol gave them a great start with a 53.16sec split. Hansen increased the lead on the world record split taking it 0.39 seconds under at the race's halfway mark. Brenton Rickard swam his breaststroke leg in 58.56, faster than Hansen, to bring the Australians into second place.

Phelps fought off the Australian challenge in the Butterfly leg before Lezak kept Eamon Sullivan on his shoulder until the wall.

The Australian team of Hayden Stoeckel, Andrew Lauterstein, Rickard and Sullivan finished 0.70 seconds behind the US to win silver in an Oceania record 3:30.04, also under the old world record.

Australia went into the race as world champions but only as beneficiaries of a US disqualification at the 2007 world championships.

Japan's team of Miyashita Junichi, Kitajima Kosuke, Fujii Takuro and Sato Hisayoshi took bronze in an Asian record 3:31.18.

Russia finished fourth in a European record 3:31.92.







Michael Phelps competes in the butterfly leg of the Men's 4x100 Medley Relay (Photo credit:




Radhe Krishna 16-08-08

History written: Phelps wins No. 8

BEIJING -- A journey that started four years ago after his six-gold performance in Athens and included 17 swims over nine days here ended triumphantly for Michael Phelps on Sunday.

Phelps earned his unprecedented eighth Olympic gold medal of the 2008 Olympics as he swam the butterfly leg of the Americans' world-record win in the 4x100m medley relay to close out the swimming competition at the Water Cube.

Aaron Peirsol led off in the backstroke leg, Brendan Hansen swam the breast and Jason Lezak anchored in the free, the same three who won gold in Athens. Phelps swam the prelims of that race in Athens, giving up his finals spot to Ian Crocker.

Phelps tied Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal a day earlier in the 100m butterfly, winning by the slimmest of margins, .01 of a second over Milorad Cavic.

His quest was almost derailed in Day 2 of the meet in the 4x100m free relay, but Lezak's unbelievable anchor leg kept the quest alive.

Historic eighth gold for Michael Phelps

Flash: Historic eighth gold for Michael Phelps
Updated: 2008-08-17 11:18:37
(BEIJING, August 17) -- With another world-record setting time of 3:29.34, Michael Phelps won his historic eighth gold medal in the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay with teammates Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Jason Lezak. With 14 in total, Phelps now stands alone in sports history with the most Olympic gold medals.

The defending Olympic champion US team updated their world record time by 1.34 seconds. Australia won the silver in 3:30.04 and Japan took bronze at 3:31.

Swimming
Born: June 30, 1985
Baltimore, MD
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Residence: Ann Arbor, MI
Ht: / Wt: 6'4" / 195 lbs
Olympics: 2004, 2000
Event(s): 200m free, 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4x100m free relay, 4x200m free relay, 4x100m medley relay
Attack on the record books
Michael Phelps is seven-for-seven in Beijing, tying Mark Spitz's single-Games record with still one more event to go. In his first, on Aug. 10, Phelps won the 400m IM in 4:03.86, more than a second faster than the record he set a month earlier at Olympic Trials. The next day, Phelps and the U.S. team squeaked out a win in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Phelps' leadoff leg of 47.51 was an American record, but anchor Jason Lezak dove in with more than a half-second deficit. Lezak posted the fastest relay split in history, 46.06, to catch Frenchman Alain Bernard for the win, by just .08 of a second.

Phelps easily won the 200m free, for his third gold in Beijing and his record-tying ninth career gold. But he wasn't tied for long, as the next morning, Phelps won two more gold medals: first, in the 200m butterfly, where the race was tighter than expected. But the only race in the 4x200m freestyle relay was for second, as the U.S. men, with Phelps leading off, broke the record by more than four seconds and beat the field by more than five. Phelps won his sixth gold with a dominating performance in the 200m IM, lowering his world record to 1:54.23, but his seventh gold was by the absolute slimmest of margins, .01 in the 100m butterfly. Phelps appeared to trail Milorad Cavic but his half stroke beat out Cavic's glide to the wall by a nail.

Quest for eight, Part II
In Beijing, Michael Phelps will have the chance to at least match the record eight medals (six gold, two bronze) that he won in Athens. Phelps fell one gold short of matching Mark Spitz's record seven, won in 1972, but still matched the single-games total record with eight. That missing gold could come in the 200m freestyle, in which Phelps took bronze in Athens. This time, he enters the 200m as the favorite, having broken Ian Thorpe's world record at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne. Phelps also holds the world record in three other individual events: 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM.

Golden guy
Phelps won seven gold medals (200m free, 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4x100m free and 4x200m free) and set five world records (200m free, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM and 4x200m free) in one of the most dominant swimming performances ever at the 2007 Worlds. All of the individual event world records that Phelps broke were his own, except for the 200m freestyle, where he shattered Ian Thorpe's mark from 2001. Phelps shaved .2 of a second off Thorpe's time and won the race by almost 2.5 seconds.

Stuck at seven
Phelps did not get the chance to race for an eighth gold at Worlds in the final event, the 4x100m medley relay, because the U.S. team was disqualified in the preliminaries, in which he did not swim. Teammate Ian Crocker left the blocks .01 of a second too soon for his leg, and the false start cost the U.S. a spot in the final. It was the first time the U.S. did not swim in a relay final in the history of world championships.

Physical advantage
At first glance, Phelps might look like a typical swimmer. But several of his physical characteristics seem genetically tailored for swimming. His 6-foot-7-inch wingspan is three inches longer than his height, providing him with unusual reach. His torso is long compared to his legs, enabling him to ride high on the water. And his flexible ankles, combined with size-14 feet, allow for a powerful kick. Add to that more than a decade of high-intensity training, and you get one of the fastest swimmers in history.

On his own
After Athens, Phelps enrolled as a student at Michigan, moving away from home for the first time. During his first year living alone, he had to make some adjustments and learn a few quick lessons. Phelps once filled up his dishwasher with hand soap and came home to find his floor covered in suds. He also had trouble eating his first bowl of cereal after he realized he hadn't purchased any bowls, so he ate the cereal with milk out of a Gatorade bottle. Phelps is unable to compete for Michigan because of his professional status, but he works as a volunteer assistant with University of Michigan swim team.

To the Wolverines
At Michigan's Club Wolverine, Phelps trains with numerous other elite swimmers: Olympians Erik Vendt, Peter Vanderkaay and Kaitlin Sandeno, as well as hopefuls Davis Tarwater and Chris Dejong. Under Bob Bowman, who has been Phelps' coach since he was 12 years old, the atmosphere is intense and the training tough. Bowman had a countdown clock installed in the pool to mark the days until Beijing, as a daily reminder of the swimmers' ultimate goal.

'Bullet' heading home
Bowman announced in April 2008 that he was leaving Michigan and returning to Baltimore after Beijing to serve as CEO of North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps, who is nicknamed the "Baltimore Bullet," will return home as well after four years in Ann Arbor. Phelps and Bowman met at NBAC, which is also where Katie Hoff trains.

Early bloomer
Phelps made his Olympic debut in Sydney at age 15 when he qualified for the 200m fly by finishing second at U.S. Trials -- a result he wasn't exactly expecting. "At first I couldn't really believe it. I thought I saw it and had to take my goggles off to really see," Phelps said of the race. He was the youngest man on the U.S. swim team, but despite his age and lack of international experience, he made the final in Sydney and finished fifth. Five months after that race, Phelps became the sport's youngest male world-record holder when he claimed the 200m fly mark.

Sibling stimulus
Phelps appeared at the 1996 Olympic Trials as a 10-year-old, not to swim but to support his sister, Whitney. When she finished sixth in the 200m butterfly final and missed making the team, the family cried in the stands. "It left a scar on our family," Michael says. Whitney's career was cut short by four herniated discs, but Michael says he lives by her example. From the time he was little, he remembers how he would hear her door shut and the car start before dawn as she made her way to practice. Phelps has another sister, Hillary, who swam for the University of Richmond.

'Limitless potential'
Following his sisters to the pool, Phelps began swimming at age 7 when he joined North Baltimore Aquatic Club. He met Bowman four years later, and Bowman immediately recognized his ability. "There was nothing holding him back, at that time or now," Bowman said. "I felt that when I saw him as a younger swimmer, that he had limitless potential." Bowman even met with Phelps' parents when he was 12, explaining that he could potentially make the Olympics in 2000 and even set 2004 and 2008 as targets.

Michael Phelps competes in the butterfly leg of the Men's 4x100 Medley Relay (Photo credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Phelps wins 8th gold medal; breaks tie with Spitz

BEIJING - Michael Phelps locked arms with his three teammates, as though they were in a football huddle calling a play, then hugged each one of them. It took a team to make him the grandest of Olympic champions. And one last big push from Phelps himself.

Going hard right to the end of a mesmerizing nine days in Beijing, Phelps helped the Americans come from behind Sunday in a race they've never lost at the Olympics, cheering from the deck as Jason Lezak brought it home for a world record in the 400-meter medley relay. It was Phelps' history-making eighth gold medal of these games.

"Everything was accomplished," he said. "I will have the medals forever."

Phelps sure did his part to win No. 8, eclipsing Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at the 1972 Munich Games.

Aaron Peirsol got the Americans off to the lead in the backstroke, but Brendan Hansen — a major disappointment in this Olympic year — slowed them down with only the third-fastest breaststroke leg.

By the time Phelps dived in for the butterfly, the U.S. was trailing Australia and Japan.

That's when he really went to work.

With his long arms whirling across the water like propellers, Phelps caught the two guys ahead of him on the return lap and passed off to Lezak a lead of less than a second for the freestyle. The Australians countered with former world record-holder Eamon Sullivan as their anchor.

"I was thinking not to blow the lead," Lezak said. "I was really nervous."

Sullivan tried to chase down Lezak and appeared to be gaining as they came to the wall, but Lezak finished in 3 minutes, 29.34 seconds — Phelps' seventh world record in his personal Great Haul of China.

The Aussies took silver in 3:30.04, also under the old world record of 3:30.68 set by the U.S. in Athens four years ago, while Japan held on for the bronze.

Phelps leaned over the blocks, looking to make sure Lezak touched first. Assured the Americans had won, he thrust both index fingers in the air, pumped his right arm and let out a scream. Peirsol also yelled and slapped Phelps in the chest.

Spitz's iconic performance was surpassed by a swimmer fitting of this generation: a 23-year-old from Baltimore who loves hip-hop music, texting with his buddies and wearing his cap backward.

"I don't even know what to feel right now," Phelps said. "There's so much emotion going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom."

Debbie Phelps was sitting in the stands at the Water Cube, tears streaming down her cheeks, her two daughters by her side. After getting his gold, Phelps quickly found his family, climbing through a horde of photographers to give all three a kiss.

Mom put her arm around his neck and gave him a little extra hug.

Her son sure earned it.

"The Beijing Olympics has witnessed the greatest Olympian of all time — Michael Phelps of the USA," the announcer said as Phelps posed with his teammates.

The Americans still had to wait a couple of tantalizing minutes for the official results to be posted. Finally, it flashed on the board.

World record.

Gold medal No. 8.

"Nothing is impossible," Phelps said. "With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that's something I learned and something that helped me."

Phelps, who won three relays in Beijing along with five individual races, gave a shout-out to all his teammates for helping him take down Spitz.

"Without the help of my teammates this isn't possible," he said. "I was able to be a part of three relays and we were able to put up a solid team effort and we came together as one unit.

"For the three Olympics I've been a part of, this is by far the closest men's team that we've ever had. I didn't know everybody coming into this Olympics, but I feel going out I know every single person very well. The team that we had is the difference."

Phelps set seven world records and one Olympic record, doing a personal best time in every event.

"It can't be described. We'll never, ever see it again," said Australian distance king Grant Hackett, who came up short in his bid to win a third straight 1,500 freestyle title.

Beforehand, Hackett figured Phelps was likely to win six golds, just as he did in Athens four years ago when the first attempt to beat Spitz's record came up just short.

"Everything lined up for him incredibly," Hackett said. "He's a nice guy, a good bloke, and the last few years I've never seen him change."

Back in Baltimore, some 10,000 fans hung around after an NFL preseason game to watch the relay on the stadium's big screen.

"I think he's going to be a legend forever," Ravens fan Ann Williams said.

Phelps won some races by ridiculously large margins, others with the closest of finishes — most memorably, his seventh gold by one-hundredth of a second over Serbia's Milorad Cavic in the 100 fly. Along the way, he became the winningest Olympian ever and left China with 14 career golds — five more than anyone else with at least one more Olympics to go.

"It's been nothing but an upwards roller-coaster and it's been nothing but fun," Phelps said.

Ditto for Dara Torres, who capped her improbable comeback with two more silver medals, missing gold by one hundredth of a second in the 50 freestyle.

The 41-year-old Torres, a five-time Olympian and the oldest American swimmer ever, also anchored the American women to a runner-up finish in the 400 medley relay. She got silver in all three of her races in Beijing, giving her 12 medals in a remarkable career that began at the 1984 Los Angeles Games — a year before Phelps was even born.

Surely this is the end.

Then again, never count Torres out — she'll only be 45 for the London Games.

"I go home extremely thrilled," said Torres, who also made sure to mention her ailing coach.

Michael Lohberg is battling a rare, potentially fatal blood disease and couldn't travel to Beijing.

"I wouldn't be here without Michael," Torres said.

Germany's Britta Steffen nipped Torres at the wall to complete a sweep of the women's sprint events in Beijing. The middle-aged American smiled, her head dropping back, when she saw a time of 24.07 — just behind Steffen's winning effort of 24.06. The German added to her gold in the 100 free.

Torres received her silver, then hustled back to the locker room to grab her cap and a pair of old-fashioned goggles that were probably older than some of her teammates. She was trailing as she took the anchor leg and couldn't catch Libby Trickett on a frantic sprint to the wall, with China claiming the bronze.

Still, not bad considering she had retired a second time after the 2000 Sydney Games, then got the urge to compete again after having her first child two years ago. Not content swimming in the old-timers' division, she set out to prove that age is only a number.

Consider that point made.

Torres got off to a good start in the 50 and appeared to be leading midway through the race, a frenetic sprint from one end of the pool to the other.

As they came to the wall, Torres and Steffen were stroke for stroke. The German reached out with her left hand and Torres stretched with her right. Steffen's fingertip got there first.

Completing a race for all ages, 16-year-old Australian Cate Campbell earned the bronze in 24.17.

Australia's relay women — Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Jess Schipper and Libby Trickett — took the gold with a world record of 3:52.69. The Americans claimed silver with the second-fastest time in history, 3:53.30, while China took the bronze.

Torres was joined on the U.S. team by Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni and Christine Magnuson. Coughlin received her sixth medal of the games, giving her 11 in her career.

Hackett failed to become the first man to win the same event at three straight Olympics.

The Aussie was upset in swimming's version of the mile by Ous Mellouli, who won Tunisia's first Olympic gold at the pool in 14:40.84.

"It's like 90 yards of a touchdown. It was so close, but I didn't have much of a response," Hackett said. "It's disappointing I didn't win. I have no regrets, it certainly was a close race."

Mellouli held off Hackett in the closing meters of the grueling race, swimming's version of the mile. Hackett earned the silver in 14:41.53, well off his 7-year-old world record of 14:34.56.

"He's never hung on like that in the past," Hackett said of the winner. "He was the better competitor."

Mellouli, who trains in Southern California, was coming off a suspension after testing positive for amphetamines.

Ryan Cochrane of Canada took the bronze in 14:42.69.

After receiving his eighth gold, Phelps received another award from FINA, the sport's governing body, as the best swimmer of the meet.

Make it the best ever.