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Bernard bags gold after nervous start

Zige gives China its first gold in the pool; Kitajima does a breaststroke ‘double-double’

BEIJING: Frenchman Alain Bernard completed his remarkable rise from obscurity when he took the 100m freestyle gold on Thursday, overcoming nerves that left his legs shaking on the starting blocks.

Little over a year ago, few except swimming’s most informed had heard of Bernard who had switched to freestyle after failing to make the grade in backstroke and medley.

Since March though, Bernard has broken the world record in 100m freestyle three times, including in Wednesday’s semifinals. His Beijing experience was in danger of being remembered for the wrong reasons after he was swum down on the last stroke of the 4x100m freestyle relay by American Jason Lezak.

Different story

Thursday, however, was a different story. Lezak ended in a dead heat for bronze with Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho, 0.46 behind Bernard’s time of 47.21. World record holder Eamon Sullivan of Australia took the silver.

Two-time defending champion Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands was fifth in 47.75.

“My legs were shaking at the start. I was really tense, just like the other seven guys,” said Bernard. “At the 80m mark I was hurting, but I told myself, ‘Hang on, hang on.’ I did what my coach told me: ‘don’t panic.’

Meanwhile, Kosuke Kitajima of Japan swept the breaststroke events in his second straight Olympics, becoming the first swimmer to do so.

With rival Brendan Hansen not even in the field in the 200m breaststroke — the American failed to qualify for the event at the U.S. trials — Kitajima was an overwhelming favourite.

He lived up to the billing, winning easily in 2m 07:64s.

Kitajima came up 0.13 short of his own world record, set in June, but finished a half-body length ahead of silver medallist Brenton Rickard of Australia (2:08.88) to match his two breaststroke golds in Athens. Hugues Duboscq of France claimed the bronze in 2:08.94.

Liu Zige gave China its first swimming gold in Beijing, winning the women’s 200m butterfly in a world record time of 2:04.18.

Liu bettered the old mark of 2:05.40 set by Jess Schipper of Australia at the 2006 Pan Pacific championships in Canada. Chinese teammate Jiao Liuyang clinched the silver in 2:04.72 and Jess Schipper of Australia the bronze in 2:06.26.

Defending champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland finished fourth.

Stephanie Rice led Australia to gold in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, smashing the world record by nearly six seconds.

Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Linda MacKenzie finished in 7:44.31, lowering the mark of 7:50.09 set by the United States at last year’s World championships in Australia.

Rice earned her third gold medal of the Games, having swept both individual medleys with world-record times.

The Chinese team of Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Tan Miao and Pang Jiaying took the silver in 7:45.93.

The United States team of Allison Schmitt, Natalie Coughlin, Caroline Burckle and Katie Hoff earned the bronze in 7:46.33, the first time the Americans have lost in the event since it began in 1996.

With five gold medals and five world records already, Michael Phelps finally had a finals-free morning.

But, he advanced to the 200 individual medley final, winning his semifinal heat in 1:57.70.

Phelps’s teammate and main rival, Ryan Lochte, won his heat in 1:57.69, making him the top qualifier, with Phelps second overall. — Agencies

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