One More Down For Phelps

[Split]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/swimming/new ... own+phelps

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps won the first race on his Olympic calendar Sunday, the 400-meter individual medley, in spectacular fashion.

He set a world record in 4:03.84. Rival Ryan Lochte finished third.

Videos
Phelps vs. Lochte
They're friends first, but rivals in the pool.


Photos
Phelps through the years
Family photos of swimmer Michael Phelps.


Related Stories
Results
8 reasons to watch Phelps in Beijing
Pressure? Expectations? Not for relaxed Phelps
Winning eight starts with winning the first
Phelps now owns seven Olympic golds in his career. Two more would tie him for most career golds -- the mark held by swimmer Mark Spitz, track star Carl Lewis and two others.

The 23-year-old Phelps had set an Olympic record in Saturday's preliminaries, touching in 4:07.82, nearly a half-second better than the Games record -- his own, set in 2004 in winning the 400 IM at the Athens Olympics.

Among those on hand Sunday morning at the Water Cube: President Bush. A few moments before the race began, he held up an American flag. Across the pool, the chant went up: "U-S-A, U-S-A."


Spitz, of course, holds the record for most golds won in a single Games -- seven, in Munich, in 1972.

Phelps won six golds at the Athens Games, eight overall.

Phelps had said before Sunday's race that he expected it to be among the toughest on his Beijing schedule -- in measure because it included Lochte, one of his good friends.

Lochte, who turned 24 last week, pushed Phelps mightily at the U.S. Trials in the 400m IM. Both swimmers broke the world record (held by Phelps, set at the 2007 World Championships), Phelps finishing in 4:05.25, Lochte in 4:06.08.

Lochte finished second to Phelps in the 200 IM at the 2004 Games and, as well, in the 200 IM and the 400 IM at the 2007 worlds in Melbourne, Australia.

Up next for Phelps is the 4x100 free relay Monday, where he and the American team were third at the Athens Olympics.

[VaultPurple]

1 down... 7 to go

[Split]

Fixed it.