The Hindu : Sport / Olympic Games : Late surge gives Potec the gold

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Thursday, Aug 19, 2004

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Sport - Olympic Games

Late surge gives Potec the gold

HUMAN ARCHES: A spectacular start to a 200m men's backstroke heats. -- AP

ATHENS, AUG. 18. Camelia Potec clinched the Olympic women's 200m freestyle title with a late surge down the final length on Tuesday as world record holder Franziska van Almsick saw her dream of Olympic gold dissolve.

The 22-year-old Romanian, who won the European title in Madrid in May, turned third into the last length and burst through as van Almsick failed to make the medals.

Potec, fourth in Sunday's 400m freestyle final, forged through in the outside lane to win in one minute 58.03 seconds, having entered the final as second-slowest qualifier.

Sixteen-year-old Italian Federica Pellegrini, fastest qualifier from the semifinals, and Solenne Figues of France were one-two into the final turn but had to settle for silver and bronze in 1:58.22 and 1:58.45 respectively.

Van Almsick, twice Olympic silver medallist in the 200m freestyle, seized the lead from American Dana Vollmer on the second length but faded in the second half and finished fifth in 1:58.88.

Poll, who returned to competition after a drugs ban imposed in 2002, failed to make the final this time.

Phelps wins 200 butterfly

Michael Phelps claimed his second gold medal of the Athens Games in the 200m butterfly, although he was a bit disappointed at failing to break his own world record.

Phelps held off Takashi Yamamoto to win in an Olympic-record one minute, 54.01 seconds. The hard-charging Japanese swimmer took silver (1:54.56), while Britain's Stephen Parry won bronze (1:55.22).

With another final still to go Tuesday, Phelps had two gold and two bronze medals in the fourth day of the Olympic meet, easily making him the most decorated swimmer.

Phelps went out strong in the butterfly — one of his best events — and reached the midway point under his world-record pace. He tired a bit at the end, falling short of the 1:53.93 that he set at last year's World championships.

Phelps turned quickly to look at the scoreboard, giving a timid fist pump when he saw his winning time. "The third 50 was something that could have been better," he said. "I'm happy for the gold medal, but I really wanted the record."

Phelps stood on the podium to receive his medal, then started preparing for his leg of the 800 freestyle relay — the final event of the night — which the Americans won, narrowly beating the challenge of the Australians with an U.S.-record time of 7:07.33.

Australia took the silver at 7:07.46. Italy got the bronze at 7:11.83.

Phelps didn't have to swim in the morning for the first time, sitting out the preliminaries of the relay. — AP

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