Portal
Home
Calendar
Gallery
FAQ
Search
Register
Log inMighty Phelps becomes most successful Olympian
Mighty Phelps becomes most successful Olympian
by Outspoken on Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:51 am
Mighty Phelps becomes most successful Olympian
By Sean Maguire
Reuters News Service
BEIJING (Reuters) - American swimmer Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympian of all time by winning two more Beijing gold medals on Wednesday to take his career tally to an unprecedented 11 victories.
The mighty Phelps overtook an elite group including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis who had won nine golds by breaking his own world record in the men's 200 meters butterfly.
Phelps brushed off a problem with his goggles that left them full of water. "Under the circumstances, it's not a bad result," he told reporters.
An hour later, the 23-year-old was back in the pool with his American team mates to win the men's 200 freestyle relay, knocking over four seconds off the previous world best. It was his fifth gold from these Games adding to six in Athens in 2004.
Phelps is now within reach of Spitz's record of seven golds at one Games. With each of his Beijing golds coming in record times he is also tracking Spitz's achievement of winning each of the 1972 titles in world best times.
The day's dry land highlight came when China took advantage of stumbles at key moments by the U.S. to win one of the Games' showpiece events, the women's team artistic gymnastics.
Alicia Sacramone, the senior team member, stumbled off the beam after fluffing her mount and then fell flat on her back during her floor exercise. Shell-shocked at her disastrous mistakes, she hurried down the stairs and collapsed in tears.
It was the first victory in the event for the Chinese women.
An astonishing six world records were broken in the Water Cube pool, taking the tally for the Games to 16 in four days.
France's Alain Bernard briefly took Eamon Sullivan's world record in the 100 freestyle semi-finals but the Australian recaptured it less than five minutes later.
Italy's Federica Pellegrini broke the women's 200 freestyle record to take gold and ease the pain of losing in her favorite race, the 400 freestyle. Australia's Stephanie Rice won her second gold in record time in the 200 individual medley.
Phelps's triumphs pushed him ahead of Lewis, Spitz, "Flying Finn" distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina on nine golds.
Latynina and fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov hold the record for the most career medals of any colour, with 18 for women and 15 for men.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080813/sp_nm/olympics_dc;_ylt=AsZf5aIvS6wdpPgmdrhgIvms0NUE
(Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
By Sean Maguire
Reuters News Service
BEIJING (Reuters) - American swimmer Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympian of all time by winning two more Beijing gold medals on Wednesday to take his career tally to an unprecedented 11 victories.
The mighty Phelps overtook an elite group including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis who had won nine golds by breaking his own world record in the men's 200 meters butterfly.
Phelps brushed off a problem with his goggles that left them full of water. "Under the circumstances, it's not a bad result," he told reporters.
An hour later, the 23-year-old was back in the pool with his American team mates to win the men's 200 freestyle relay, knocking over four seconds off the previous world best. It was his fifth gold from these Games adding to six in Athens in 2004.
Phelps is now within reach of Spitz's record of seven golds at one Games. With each of his Beijing golds coming in record times he is also tracking Spitz's achievement of winning each of the 1972 titles in world best times.
The day's dry land highlight came when China took advantage of stumbles at key moments by the U.S. to win one of the Games' showpiece events, the women's team artistic gymnastics.
Alicia Sacramone, the senior team member, stumbled off the beam after fluffing her mount and then fell flat on her back during her floor exercise. Shell-shocked at her disastrous mistakes, she hurried down the stairs and collapsed in tears.
It was the first victory in the event for the Chinese women.
An astonishing six world records were broken in the Water Cube pool, taking the tally for the Games to 16 in four days.
France's Alain Bernard briefly took Eamon Sullivan's world record in the 100 freestyle semi-finals but the Australian recaptured it less than five minutes later.
Italy's Federica Pellegrini broke the women's 200 freestyle record to take gold and ease the pain of losing in her favorite race, the 400 freestyle. Australia's Stephanie Rice won her second gold in record time in the 200 individual medley.
Phelps's triumphs pushed him ahead of Lewis, Spitz, "Flying Finn" distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina on nine golds.
Latynina and fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov hold the record for the most career medals of any colour, with 18 for women and 15 for men.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080813/sp_nm/olympics_dc;_ylt=AsZf5aIvS6wdpPgmdrhgIvms0NUE
(Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
