Recently in Olympic Swimming Category

Only three African-Americans have won Olympic medals in swimming for the United States. Cullen Jones of Irvington, N.J. became the third on Monday.
Jones won gold as part of the men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay team. He is only the second African-American to win a gold medal in swimming for the United States.
Anthony Ervin, a Hart High of Newhall graduate, was the first African-American to win a gold medal in swimming when he won the 50-meter freestyle in a dead heat with Gary Hall Jr. in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.
Maritza Correia won a silver medal in Athens in the 4x100m freestyle relay to become the first African-American female swimmer to win a medal for the U.S.

There was a U.S. male backstroker who broke the 53-second barrier Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center, but his name wasn't Aaron Peirsol.

Peirsol, the world-record holder at 52.89 seconds, saw several challengers creep closer to his global standard in the semifinals at "The Water Cube", one of which was American teammate Matt Grevers.

After producing an Olympic record 53.41 in the prelims -- taking down Peirsol's mark of 53.45 from Athens in 2004 -- Grevers saw Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin and Australia's Hayden Stoeckel both produce faster times in back-to-back heats, with the 6-foot-8 standout sandwiched in between.

Vyatchanin clocked 53.06 to win his heat, then Stoeckel responded with a 52.97 in the second semifinal, with Grevers qualifying third in a lifetime-best 52.99, lowering his mark from the U.S. Olympic trials by two-tenths.

Aschwin Wildeboer of Spain qualified fourth in 53.51 and Peirsol was fifth in 53.56.

Peirsol, who lowered his world record at the U.S. Olympic trials, is attempting to become the first repeat Olympic gold medalist in the event since Germany's Roland Matthes in 1968 and 1972. Americans have captured the past three gold medals in the event, with Lenny Krayzelburg winning in 2000 and Jeff Rouse in 1996.

Warren Paoa Keahola is the only American to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100 backstroke in 1920 and 1924.

Michael Phelps wasn't in first at the end of his 200-meter freestyle semifinal heat Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center.

But he was in the right heat, as seven of the eight qualifiers for the championship came from his heat inside "The Water Cube."

American Peter Vanderkaay, the last man to defeat Phelps in the 200 free, recorded the fastest qualifying time of 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a little more than three-tenths off his best time from last year's summer nationals in Indianapolis.

South Korean star Tae Hwan Park, who captured the gold medal in the 400 free Sunday morning, was second in 1:45.99 and South Africa's Jean Basson (1:46.13), the winner of the first semifinal heat, qualified third.

Phelps, who was more focused on leading off the Americans' 400 free relay later in the morning, cruised to the fourth-fastest time of 1:46.28, well off his world record of 1:43.86, set at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Since taking third behind Australia's Ian Thorpe and Dutch legend Pieter van den Hoogenband in the 200 free in 2004 -- one of his two bronze medals in Athens -- the Beijing Games mark the 19th time Phelps has competed in the event. He has only lost in the championship heat twice.

Phelps took third behind Andy Hunter of Scotland and former USC All-American Klete Keller in the final of the Eric Namesnik Grand Prix, on May 19, 2006, in Ann Arbor, Mich., and was defeated by Vanderkaay -- 1:46.78 to 1:47.09 -- on April 4 at the Toyota Grand Prix at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

But Vanderkaay, Park and Bilson are going to have to produce the best swims of their lives to prevent Phelps from becoming the first American to win gold in the event since Bruce Furniss led an American sweep in Montreal.

Natalie Coughlin's last loss in a championship heat of the women's 100-meter backstroke was Aug. 17, 2006, at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada.

The defeat is significant because it might be used as a reference point should Coughlin come up short in her bid to become the first repeat Olympic champion in event history Tuesday morning.

Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, who attended Auburn and regularly trains in Texas, took down Coughlin's world record Monday morning, clocking 58.77 seconds in the semifinals at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Coughlin, who has won seven consecutive championship races since losing to Japan's Hanae Ito two years ago, won her heat in 59.43. But Coventry -- who finished a second behind Coughlin that day at the Pan Pacs in Canada -- produced a mark that was two-tenths faster than Coughlin's former global standard, set at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Coughlin also lost to Ito in the semifinals at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, before rebounding to set a world record en route to winning gold.

But the semifinals marked the second consecutive race that Coventry, a former world-record holder in the 200 backstroke, posted a faster time than Coughlin, including a head-to-head victory in Sunday night's prelims, in which Coventry produced an Olympic record of 59.00.

Coughlin defeated Coventry 1:00.37 to 1:00.50 in the final in Athens.

Only five women recorded sub-minute times in the semifinals, with Japan's Reiko Nakamura putting herself in the medal hunt with a 59.64. Russia's Anastasia Zueva took second in Coventry's heat, albeit a second slower (59.77), and American Margaret Hoelzer -- the 200 backstroke world-record holder -- also appears to be capable of challenging for the bronze after clocking 59.84.

Great Britain's Gemma Spofforth was third in the first heat (59.79) behind Coughlin and Nakamura.

It took the greatest anchor leg in Olympic history to keep Michael Phelps' pursuit of Olympic history alive.

Jason Lezak, an Irvine High and UC Santa Barbara graduate who trains in Pasadena, clocked 46.06 seconds on the anchor leg of the men's 400-meter freestyle relay to rally the Americans to a gold medal, a world record and, perhaps most important of all, another win for Michael Phelps.

Lezak outdueled French star Alain Bernard down the stretch to lift the U.S. to victory in 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds, just ahead of France (European-record 3:08.32), which had never medaled in the event before Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Phelps, who added to his world-record effort in the 400 individual medley Sunday, captured his 10th Olympic medal and his eighth gold. He was on the 400 free relay in Athens in 2004, which resulted in one of his two bronze medals.

Phelps led off in an impressive 47.51 (a new American record), but the U.S. found itself in second as Australia's Eamon Sullivan set a 100 free world record -- which can only be achieved on the leadoff leg -- of 47.24 en route to a bronze-medal finish of 3:09.91.

Olympic rookie Garrett Weber-Gale, who won the 100 free at the U.S. Olympic trials, moved the Americans into the lead over the French at the midway point with a 47.02 split, before giving way to Cullen Jones, the only swimmer who competed on the U.S.' world-record effort of 3:12.23 in the prelims.

Jones clocked 47.65 on the third leg as the U.S. fell back to second after France's Fred Bousquet, who warned the Americans they'd be in jeopardy following the prelims, split an exceptional 46.63 to put the French ahead 2:21.59 to 2:22.18.

But Lezak, a member of the silver medal relay in 2000 in Sydney that took second to the Australians and a part of the bronze medal relay in 2004 that placed third behind South Africa and the Netherlands, wasn't going to be denied this time on the anchor.

Lezak's split was 0.67 faster than Bernard, the previous world-record holder at 47.50 before Sullivan's leadoff swim, to help the Americans win their eighth gold medal in the 10 Olympics in which the event has been contested -- and, more important, keep Phelps' pursuit of eight gold medals alive.

A 19-year-old rising superstar captured the gold medal Monday morning in the women's 400-meter freestyle.

Just not the one most people have heard about.

Rebecca Adlington produced an incredible surge in the final 20 meters to defeat American Katie Hoff and capture the first Olympic gold medal for Great Britain in the event at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Adlington, who was in fourth place with 50 meters remaining, won in 4 minutes, 3.22 seconds, a mark well off the Olympic record of 4:02.19 set in prelims by Italy's Federica Pellegrini, who also holds the world record at 4:01.53.

Hoff, the leader from the midway point of the race until Adlington passed her in the final strokes, took second in 4:03.29, adding a silver medal to her bronze in the 400 individual medley. Adlington's countrywoman, Joanne Jackson, rallied from last place at the midway point to take bronze in 4:03.52.

Sarah Hardcastle (silver) and June Croft (bronze) were Great Britain's last medalists in the event in 1984.

Pellegrini, looking to become Italy's first gold medalist in the event, was in third with 100 meters remaining, but slipped to fifth in 4:04.56, also trailing France's Coralie Balmy (4:03.60).

Frenchwoman Laure Manaudou, the defending Olympic gold medalist, led for the first 150 meters, but fell well off the pace by the midway point, taking eighth in 4:11.26. Manaudou was attempting to be the first swimmer to repeat in the 400 free since American Martha Norelius doubled in 1924 and 1928.

Her winning time in Athens was 4:05.34.

Hoff's silver medal marked the third consecutive Olympics the U.S. medaled in the event after being shut out for only the third time in 20 Olympic Games in 1996.

After the United States was shut out in the event for only the third time in Olympic history, Christine Magnuson made sure the Americans' drought in the women's 100-meter butterfly didn't continue Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

The reigning NCAA champion in the 100-yard butterfly at Tennessee, Magnuson took silver in the 100-meter event in 57.10 seconds, just off her American-record performance of 57.08 in the semifinals.

Libby Trickett became the second Australian in a row (Petria Thomas in 2004) and third ever (Lyn McClements in 1968) to win gold, challenging Inge de Bruijn's 2000 world record of 56.61, before just missing in a lifetime-best 56.73. Trickett and de Bruijn are the only two swimmers under 57 seconds in event history.

It was the first individual Olympic gold for Trickett, who took bronze in the 50 freestyle in 2004. Trickett, then Libby Lenton, did capture gold as a member of Australia's 400 free relay in Athens.

Australian Jessicah Schipper, the world-record holder in the 200 butterfly, took bronze in 57.25.

Magnuson was bidding to become America's first Olympic champion in the 100 butterfly since Amy Van Dyken in 1996.

USC senior Rebecca Soni was only allowed to swim the 100-meter breaststroke after Trojan Swim Club teammate Jessica Hardy withdrew from the U.S. Olympic team following a positive test for Clenbuterol.

Soni, a 200 breaststroke specialist, continued to make the most of her opportunity Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center -- aka "The Water Cube" -- by winning her semifinal heat in 1 minute, 7.07 seconds to qualify second for the championship heat behind Australian star and world-record holder Leisel Jones (1:05.80).

Jones set the bar high with an Olympic record 1:05.64 in the prelims, sending a message that she would be ready to challenge her world record of 1:05.09 set at the Australian Olympic trials in March.

Although it appears the 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 2004 bronze medalist cruised through the semifinals, becoming the first woman to post a sub-1:05 clocking in the final is not out of the question.

Soni, who qualified fourth after the prelims with a 1:07.44, demonstrated that a medal in the event is also a strong possibility following her semifinal effort and the fact that she clocked 1:06.87 in the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic trials.

Austria's Mirna Jukic qualified third in 1:07.27, ahead of Australian Tarnee White (1:07.48), who clocked 1:06.04 at the Australian trials in March to become the No. 2 all-time performer in event history.

Russian teenage standout Yuliya Efimova, who was second behind Jones after the prelims with a European record 1:06.08 -- No. 3 all-time performer -- backed off a bit and qualified in 1:07.50.

China's Sun Ye, the surprise of the prelims, qualified for the final in 1:07.72 and Megan Jendrick, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, kept her dream of another medal alive by clocking the seventh-fastest time of 1:08.07.

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima took down Brendan Hansen's world record in the 200-meter breaststroke two months before the Olympics started.

Kitajima regained his 100 breaststroke world record with Hansen in the same pool Monday morning at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Hansen turned slightly ahead of his rival at the midway point, but Kitajima produced an incredible surge in the final 50 meters to become the first man under 59 seconds, winning going away in 58.91 to become the first repeat gold medalist in the event in Olympic history.

Norway's Alexander Dale Oen -- the leader at the 50-meter mark -- took silver in 59.20 and France's Hugues Duboscq (59.37) captured his second consecutive bronze medal following a third-place effort in Athens in 2004.

Hansen, a silver medalist in Athens, took fourth in 59.57.

Hansen had defeated Kitajima in their two head-to-head meetings since the 2004 Olympics, winning by a second at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada in 2006 and 59.80 to 59.96 at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. But the potential thrilling rematch from their race at Athens never materialized down the stretch Monday.

Dale Oen, who clocked 59.16 in the semifinals to close in on Hansen's previous world record of 59.13, took the race out in 27.85, with Hansen right behind in 27.97 and Kitajima in third in 28.03.

But Hansen, who posted his 10th sub-minute clocking since setting the world record in Aug. 2006 in Irvine including a 59.24 at the Olympic trials semifinals, didn't do much to challenge his international rivals late in the race.

Duboscq, who was seventh at the 50-meter mark, put the Americans out of a medal in the event for the first time since 1988.

The Netherlands just missed lowering their own world record in the women's 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday, but they didn't leave the National Aquatics Center empty-handed.

The Dutch quartet set an Olympic record 3 minutes, 3.76 seconds en route to capturing their first gold medal in the event since 1936, denying the Americans the title for the second consecutive Games after they won three in a row from 1992 to 2000.

Dara Torres, a 1985 graduate from Westlake School (now known as Harvard-Westlake of Studio City), produced a stellar anchor-leg split of 52.44 -- second only to Libby Trickett of Australia's 52.34 -- to help the U.S. produce an American record of 3:34.33, but it wasn't enough to catch Dutch star Marleen Veldhuis, who brought the relay home in 52.58.

Trickett anchored Australia, the reigning Olympic champion and previous record holder, to a bronze medal in 3:35.05, nearly a second below their winning time from Athens.

Natalie Coughlin, the American record-holder in the 100 freestyle, led off in 54 seconds flat, followed by Lacey Nymeyer in 53.91 and Kara Lynn Joyce in 53.98, but the Americans never led, as the Dutch rallied from seventh after the leadoff leg to move into second at the midway point and then pulled ahead for good following Femke Heemskerk's 53.42 third leg, which set the table for Veldhuis' anchor.

Germany, which featured an Olympic-record 53.38 leadoff split by Britta Steffen, led at the halfway point, before falling to fifth (3:36.85), behind China (3:35.64), which set an Asian record to take fourth.

Torres' silver medal was the second of her Olympic career, giving her a total of 10, moving her into a tie for fourth all-time among swimmers, joining American sprinter Gary Hall, Jr., and Germany's Franziska van Almsick.

Americans
Natalie Coughlin, Lacey Nymeyer, Kara Lynn Joyce and Dara Torres

Australia
Cate Campbell, Alice Mills, Melanie Schlanger and Libby Trickett

Netherlands
Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, Marleen Veldhuis

Germany
Britta Steffen, Meike Freitag, Daniela Gotz, Anje Buschschulte

Brendan Hansen said following his preliminary heat in the men's 100-meter breaststroke that the three-race gauntlet was like a poker game and he didn't want to show all his cards too soon.

"I know I've got a good hand, I'm just waiting to see what comes up on the river," Hansen told NBC's Andrea Kremer in an on-deck interview following his Beijing debut.

For the second consecutive race, Hansen played his hand conservatively, while Norway's Alexander Dale Oen went "all-in" and again came up aces.

After lowering Hansen's Olympic record of 1:00.01 from Athens in 2004 to 59.41 in the prelims, Dale Oen pulled even closer to Hansen's world-record of 59.13 set in August 2006 at the ConocoPhillips Summer Nationals in Irvine with a 59.16 in the semifinals Sunday at the National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, won his heat to qualify second in 59.55. Australia's Brenton Rickard recorded the third-fastest time entering the finals at 59.65 and France's Hugues Duboscq -- the bronze medalist in Athens -- clocked 59.83 and Hansen, the silver medalist in 2004, was fifth in 59.94.

Even with Dale Oen's performance, Hansen still boasts four of the five fastest times in event history, with the Norwegian now ranking No. 2.

American Mark Gangloff, who qualified 16th after the prelims, improved to seventh entering the final after posting a 1:00.44.

Kitajima 59.55
Brenton Rickard 59.65
Mark Gangloff 1:00.44

Alexander Dale Oen 59.16 was 59.41 for OR in prelims

Katie Hoff entered the Olympic women's 400-meter individual medley final as the world-record holder.

The Baltimore area native finished the race as the bronze medalist, with Australia's Stephanie Rice and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry both eclipsing Hoff's previous standard set June 29 at the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb.

Rice, who set the world record of 4:31.46 in March before Hoff lowered it to 4:31.12, regained her global standard in emphatic fashion, holding off a determined Coventry to prevail in 4:29.45. Coventry took silver in 4:29.89, the No. 2 all-time mark in event history.

There was discussion before the Olympics that Hoff had a shot at winning six gold medals, which would've been the female equivalent to Phelps' pursuit of eight golds.

Although Hoff, 19, captured her first career Olympic medal after being shut out in 2004, she couldn't duplicate Phelps' feat of winning gold and setting a world record for his first Olympic medal in the 400 IM in Athens. It was her first loss in the 400 IM in the past four years.

American Elizabeth Beisel, 15, the top qualifier in the prelims ahead of Hoff, finished fourth in 4:34.24. Beisel took second to Hoff at the Olympic trials in 4:32.87.

Former USC All-American Larsen Jensen rallied from fifth place with 150 meters remaining to capture the bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle, lowering his own American record -- set in the prelims -- to 3 minutes, 42.78 seconds.

South Korean star Tae Hwan Park, 18, expected to contend for a gold medal in the 1,500 free, set an Asian record to capture the gold medal in a lifetime-best 3:41.86, the No. 9 mark in event history with world and Olympic record holder Ian Thorpe of Australia responsible for the top eight. Park, who was disqualified for a false start in the 400 free prelims at age 14 in Athens, captured the first swimming gold medal in South Korea's swimming history.

China's Lin Zhang moved from sixth to second in the final 50 meters, surging past Jensen to capture silver in 3:42.44, the 11th-fastest mark ever and the first male swimming medal in his country's history. Jensen's mark ranks 15th in event history.

American Peter Vanderkaay was fourth in 3:43.11 -- one-hundredth off Jensen's previous U.S. record and Thorpe's gold medal time from Athens -- and Tunisia's Ous Mellouli, an All-American at USC, finished fifth in 3:43.45.

Reigning NCAA 100-yard butterfly champion Christine Magnuson of Tennessee took down Natalie Coughlin's American record in the 100-meter butterfly Sunday in the semifinals en route to qualifying second for the championship heat behind Australia's Libby Trickett (57.05 seconds).

Magnuson clocked 57.08, lowering Coughlin's mark of 57.34 set last March at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Singapore's Tao Li produced an Asian record of 57.54 to qualify fourth, just behind Australia's Jessicah Schipper -- the 200 butterfly world-record holder -- who clocked 57.43.

Stanford's Elaine Breeden clocked 58.55 and missed qualifying for the championship heat.

Michael Phelps got his pursuit of an Olympic-record eight swimming gold medals started in impressive fashion Sunday, lowering his world record in the 400-meter individual medley by more than a second to win in 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds at National Aquatics Center, aka "The Water Cube."

Phelps' 25th world-record performance might have been his most dominant of all, certainly on par with his 200 butterfly effort at last year's FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, when his feet were ahead of the electronic world-record line shown on TV. He lowered his Olympic record of 4:07.82 -- set in Saturday night's prelims -- by nearly four seconds.

Hungary Laszlo Cseh took silver in a European record 4:06.16, the fourth-fastest mark in the history of the event.

American Ryan Lochte, expected to be Phelps' toughest challenger, fell to 0-9 all-time head to head against his close friend and rival, including 0-8 in championship races, by taking third in 4:08.09. Lochte took second to Phelps (4:05.25) at the U.S. Olympic trials June 29 in 4:06.08.

Lochte stayed within three-tenths of Phelps through 250 meters -- or the first half of the breaststroke leg -- but Phelps stretched his lead over Lochte to nearly a second entering the freestyle leg and only built on his advantage from there. Cseh made a late charge in the final 75 meters to overtake Lochte for the silver.

Phelps' victory gave him seven career gold medals -- trailing Mark Spitz's nine and Matt Biondi and Jenny Thompson's eight on the American all-time list -- and nine total, moving him into a tie for seventh in Olympic history with Australian legend Ian Thorpe and former Russian world-record holder Aleksandr Popov.