BEIJING: Michael Phelps carved his name among the Olympic greats yesterday, smashing another world record in the pool to join Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis in an elite group on a record nine career golds.
An imperious victory in the 200 meters freestyle also gave the 23-year-old American his third gold in Beijing as he seeks to overtake Spitz’s other record, seven golds at a single Games.
“The ball’s rolling,” he said in his usual laid-back style, after chopping almost a full second off his own world record.
“We just need to keep that ball rolling.” Togo won its first Olympic medal, in kayaking, and North Korea won a rare gold, but the record books will remember Phelps yesterday for another powerful performance at the Water Cube. Phelps could overtake compatriots Lewis and Spitz, “Flying Finn” runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina, all on nine golds, when he swims two more finals today. “To be tied for the most Olympic golds of all time, with those names ... is a pretty amazing accomplishment,” he said.
Phelps led an American fightback against Chinese dominance of the medal table on day four, the US team winning three out of four golds on offer in the pool. They picked up another when a Texan hunter, Walton Eller, beat an Italian policeman in the men’s double trap shooting.
China struck back with gold in the men’s team gymnastics, an elegant victory in the women’s 10m synchronized platform diving, a men’s fencing gold and another weightlifting title.
By the close of Day 4, China led the Americans 13 golds to seven, but the US team are expected to catch up once track and field gets under way in earnest next week. The hosts have spared no expense in staging the Games and preparing their athletes. Nothing would be sweeter than toppling the Americans off the top of the final medals table. They have dominated the weightlifting, won all three diving golds so far and picked up victories in shooting and judo. The gymnastics victory was among the sweetest. Gold medalists in Sydney, the Chinese failed to win a medal in Athens. This time they stormed to victory in front of an ecstatic crowd, led by double world all-round champion Yang Wei. Little has been left to chance by organizers desperate to make a good impression, with cheerleaders filling vacant seats.
Authorities may be nervous after the father-in-law of the American volleyball coach was killed in Beijing on Saturday, and security has been tightened. An armored personnel carrier now guards the press center and soldiers carry rifles at barricades. Back in the sporting arena, Germany got off the mark in style with four golds. Two came in eventing, with individual and team golds, one in men’s kayaking and another in judo. There were celebrations for North Korea, the reclusive communist state winning its first gold since 1996 in the women’s 63 kg weightlifting.
There was no hint of politics, though, when South Korea’s Jin Jong-oh beat the North’s Kim Jong Su in the men’s 50m air pistol.
There was unlikely glory for Togo with its first ever Olympic medal, bronze in kayaking for Benjamin Boukpeti. Born to a Togolese father, Boukpeti chose to compete for the West African nation when it became clear he was too old for France. He has only been there once, as a baby, but said he now had “a very good reason to go.”
Inside the polygonal bubble-wrap of the Water Cube, Phelps’ win was one of three for American swimmers in 20 minutes. World champion Natalie Coughlin “cried like a baby” on the podium after forcing Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry to settle for silver in the women’s 100 backstroke, her relief all the greater after Coventry had set a world record in the semifinal. American Aaron Peirsol smashed his own world record to maintain his dominance of the men’s event, but it was the turn of an Australian in the women’s 100 breaststroke. World champion Leisel Jones ended eight years of gut-wrenching defeats by winning her first individual gold.
“It has been a long journey, a long eight years,” she said.
“I’ve gone from a naive 14-year-old to an under-pressure 18-year-old in Athens and now, a relieved 22-year-old.” American swimming success has helped draw huge audiences for the Olympics back home, where broadcaster NBC recorded the best ratings for any Games held outside the United States since 1976.
Chen Ruolin and Wang Xin made it three out of three victories for China in diving, winning the women’s synchronized 10m platform. The youthful Chen, just 15, and Wang, who turned 16 on Monday, dived with adult composure to dominate the contest. China’s money market traders are now betting the host country will win 40 to 42 golds in the Games, up from 32 in 2004 and higher than the American haul of 36 golds in Athens.
