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SWIMMING: Phelps grabs gold No. 6

Unstoppable Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record of the Beijing Games yesterday, his triumph in the 200m medley moving him closer to an historic eight titles.

Phelps led throughout and pulled away on the final freestyle leg to win by more than two seconds in a world record of 1 minute, 54.23 seconds.

Hungarian Laszlo Cseh was second in a European record of 1 minute, 56.52 seconds, with American Ryan Lochte edged into third place in 1 minute, 56.53 seconds — a repeat of the medal finish in the 400m medley on Sunday.

Half-an-hour earlier, Lochte threw down the gauntlet as he posted a world record to beat defending champion Aaron Peirsol convincingly in the 200m backstroke.

But he was unable to derail his superstar teammate’s bid for a record eight golds at one Games, which would surpass the seven-gold standard set by US swimmer Mark Spitz at Munich in 1972.

“Of course, I wanted to beat Michael Phelps,” Lochte said. “No matter what the event is, I want to win. But it didn’t happen.”

It was a hectic day, too, for Phelps, who was back on the blocks half-an-hour after his triumph, and just minutes after the medal ceremony, to post the second-fastest time in the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly.

“I didn’t know I had as little time as I did, I didn’t even have time to go into the ready room,” he said. “I went from the ceremony straight into putting my parka on and goggles, cap, and go. It was about two minutes, I knew it was tight, but not that tight.”

Phelps has also won gold and claimed world records in the 400m medley, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x200m freestyle relay.

Now with 12 for his career, including six from the Athens Games, Phelps owns the most gold medals of any competitor in history in any Olympic sport.

In addition to the 100m butterfly, he has the 4x100m medley relay remaining.

Two favorites from Australia’s powerful women’s team were upset on yesterday.

Rebecca Soni, who underwent heart surgery in 2006, shocked world champion Leisel Jones to win the women’s 200m breaststroke gold, taking the Australian’s world record in the process.

Soni kept up with the Australian under world record pace and pulled away in the final lap to lower Jones’ world mark by 0.32 seconds with a time of 2 minutes, 20.22 seconds.

Jones was second in 2 minutes, 22.05 seconds and Norway’s Sara Nordenstam was third in an European record 2 minutes, 23.02 seconds.

“It just kind of flowed, it just happened, it felt great. I just kept it strong and powered to the end,” Soni said.Germany’s Britta Steffen out-raced Australian world record-holder Libby Trickett in the final 10m to win the 100m freestyle in an Olympic record 53.12 seconds.

Trickett, who miscalculated her semi-final swim and only squeaked into the final when another swimmer was disqualified, took the race out fast in lane eight, but had nothing left when former world record-holder Steffen, next to her in lane seven, made her move.

Trickett took silver in 53.16 seconds and American Natalie Coughlin took the bronze in 53.39 seconds.

In the 200m backstroke, Lochte ended Peirsol’s bid for a second straight Olympic backstroke double with a victory in 1 minute, 53.94 seconds.

The previous record of 1 minute, 54.32 seconds was set by Lochte in winning the world title in Melbourne last year and equaled by Peirsol at the US Olympic trials last month.

Peirsol finished second in 1 minute, 54.33 seconds and Russian Arkady Vyatchanin, who set the pace through much of the race swimming out in lane eight, took bronze in a European record 1 minute, 54.93 seconds.

Lochte said the thrill of his first Olympic gold carried him through the medley final.

“You forget about the pain when you win,” he said.

Yesterday’s three world records took the total at the Water Cube to 21.
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