Swimming Day 8 Review: Phelps equals Spitz's gold medal record, despite scare

(BEIJING, August 16) -- American Michael Phelps won his seventh gold on Saturday in the Men's 100m Butterfly final at the National Aquatics Center, to equal Mark Spitz (USA) as the only person ever to have won seven gold medals at a summer Olympic Games.

But Phelps had to survive a big scare from unheralded Serbian Milorad Cavic to do it.

Phelps won in an Olympic record time of 50.58, to take his gold medal tally to seven, but by the slimmest of margins - 0.01 seconds. He had a huge battle on his hands after Cavic touched first on the 50m mark at 0.09sec under the world record.
Phelps and Cavic battled it out in the last 50m. A monumental upset looked to be approaching - until Phelps dug deep and out-touched Cavic on the wall.

Cavic finished with the silver medal in a time of 50.59.

Australia's Andrew Lauterstein won the bronze medal in 51.12. World record holder Ian Crocker of the United States swam in fourth place at 51.13.

After winning three silver medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe finally won gold in the Women's 200m Backstroke and she smashed the world record in a time of 2:05.24.

World record holder Margaret Hoelzer of the United States was unable to reel in Coventry and finished with the silver in 2:06.23. Nakamura Reiko of Japan won the bronze medal in an Asian record time of 2:07.13, at 1.89 behind the gold medal winner.

In the Women's 800m Freestyle final, Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain broke the oldest world record left in the swimming pool.

Adlington touched in 8:14.10 to knock an incredible 2.12 off Janet Evans' (USA) 19-year-old old world mark and claim the gold medal.

Italian Alessia Filippi, third fastest into the final, won the silver in 8:20.23 and Lotte Friis of Denmark took bronze in 8:23.03.

Unheralded Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho won the Men's 50m Freestyle final in a major upset to win the Men's 50m Freestyle final, emerging in an Olympic record time of 21.30.

Frenchman Amaury Leveaux took the silver in 21.45 and Thursday's 100m Freestyle champion Alain Bernard of France could only manage the bronze in 21.49. World record holder Eamon Sullivan of Australia finished the final as sixth fastest in 21.65.

In the Women's 50m Freestyle semifianl, 41-year-old Dara Torres of the United States showed her semifinal competitors that age is no issue in the Women's 50m Freestyle by clocking the fastest time into the final.
Torres stopped the clock at 24.27. Cate Campbell of Australia, who was not even born when Torres made her third Olympic team, was the second fastest qualifier in 24.42.

Friday's 100m Freestyle gold medalist Britta Steffen of Germany qualified third fastest for the final in 24.43 and world record holder Lisbeth Trickett of Australia qualified fifth fastest - but will need to find extra speed if she does not want to miss out on both Olympic sprint freestyle titles.