The Hindu : Sport / Swimming : Phelps equals Thorpe's record

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Sunday, Apr 01, 2007
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Sport - Swimming

Phelps equals Thorpe's record

— PHOTO: AP

FABULOUS FOUR: The Australian women's 4x100m medley relay team set a new World mark.

MELBOURNE: Michael Phelps won a record-equalling sixth gold medal at the swimming World championships with a dramatic victory in the 100 metres butterfly final here on Saturday.

Phelps defeated his American teammate Ian Crocker in a frantic finish in a time of 50.77 seconds, the third fastest in history and just 0.37 secs outside Crocker's World record of 50.40 secs.

Crocker, who led for most part of the race before being beaten on the touch to the wall, took the silver in 50.82 secs, after winning the title at the past two championships. Albert Subirats of Venezuela finished third in 51.82 secs.

Phelps, the 21-year-old from Michigan, admitted he thought he had lost out to Crocker when he mistimed his lunge for the wall. ``Honestly I thought I'd botched the finish,'' said Phelps, whose win meant he equalled Ian Thorpe's event record of six golds set in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2001.

New World record

The Australian women's 4x100m medley relay team of Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper and Libby Lenton won in a time of 3:55.74 secs, 0.56 secs less than the old World record.

The second place went to USA, which clocked 3:58.31 secs, while China won the bronze finishing 6.23 secs behind Australia.

The results: Men (all finals): 50m freestyle: 1. Ben Wildman-Tobriner (USA) 21.88s; 2. Cullen Jones (USA) 21.94; 3. Stefan Nystrand (Swe) 21.97.

100m butterfly: 1. Michael Phelps (USA) 50.77s; 2. Ian Crocker (USA) 50.82; 3. Albert Subirats (Ven) 51.82.

Women: 50m butterfly: 1. Therese Alshammar (Swe) 25.91s; 2. Danni Miatke (Aus) 26.05; 3. Inge Dekker (Ned) 26.11.

200m backstroke: 1. Margaret Hoelzer (USA) 2:07.16s; 2. Kirsty Coventry (Zim) 2:07.54; 3. Reiko Nakamura (Jpn) 2:08.54.

800m freestyle: 1. Kate Ziegler (USA) 8:18.52s; 2. Laure Manaudou (Fra) 8:18.80; 3. Hayley Peirsol (USA) 8:26.41.

4x100m medley relay: 1. Australia (Emily Seebohm/ Leisel Jones/ Jess Schipper/ Libby Lenton) 3:55.74s — NWR; 2. USA (Natalie Coughlin/ Tara Kirk/ Rachel Komisarz/ Lacey Nymeyer) 3:58.31; 3. China (Xu Tianlongzi/ Luo Nan/ Zhou Yafei/ Xu Yanwei) 4:01.97.

Water polo: USA 6 bt Australia 5. — Agencies

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