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Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: JediKnight on August 09, 2008, 10:51:13 AM
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(http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20080809&t=2&i=5507796&w=&r=2008-08-09T130035Z_01_SP169602_RTRUKOP_0_PICTURE0) www.dweetir.com
Michael Phelps safely cleared the first hurdle in his quest to win eight gold medals on Saturday when he broke his Olympic record to qualify fastest for the 400 meters individual medley final.
The American cruised through his heat in four minutes 07.82 seconds, wiping 0.44 seconds off the Olympic record he set to win the gold medal in Athens four years ago.
"I wasn't expecting heats to be that fast, after seeing the first two heats I wanted to be top seed going into tomorrow," said Phelps, who added that he had no idea what time it would take to win.
"It's going to be a race between three or four of us. I'm looking forward to it."
Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, who finished third behind Phelps at Athens then won the world title in Montreal a year later when Phelps skipped the event, was second fastest in 4:09.26.
Italian Luca Marin was third in 4:10.22 while American Ryan Lochte, who looms as the one of the biggest dangers to Phelps' bid to break compatriot Mark Spitz's 1972 record and win an unprecedented eight golds, was fourth in 4:10.33.
Phelps' time was the third fastest and just 2.57 outside the world record of 4:05.25 he set at the U.S. trials six weeks ago to book his place in Sunday's final.
Clean shaven but not wearing a full bodysuit, he was under world record pace halfway through the backstroke leg but eased down over the final freestyle leg to conserve his energy for the final.
Lochte was happy with his performance.
"It was alright...I got it out of the way. It was a good race, my best prelim swim, I'm happy with that," he said.
"It (the final) is going to be tough, but I'm going to give Michael a run for his money."
Cseh also looked forward to the showdown.
"I think if someone wants to win they have to go under 4:05," he said. "I'll try to beat Michael. I will try to go with no pressure, I'll give it everything."
(http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20080809&t=2&i=5507798&w=&r=2008-08-09T130035Z_01_SP169602_RTRUKOP_0_PICTURE2)
www.dweetir.com
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DNP is a helluva drug
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(http://dweetir.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/asg-0169761.jpg?w=600&h=429)
www.dweetir.com
BEIJING (Aug. 10) - With history about to slip away and Michael Phelps cheering him on, Jason Lezak pulled up next to the lane rope and set out after hulking Alain Bernard, like a NASCAR driver drafting down the backstretch at Daytona.
Only 25 meters to go, half the length of the pool. Every stroke brought Lezak a little closer, a little closer, a little closer, his body seemingly carried along by the Frenchman’s massive wake. The two lunged for the wall together. When the result flashed on the board, Phelps was still on course for his record eight gold medals.
By a fingertip.
Lezak, the oldest man on the U.S. swimming team, pulled off one of the great comebacks in Olympic history Monday morning, hitting the wall just ahead of Bernard in the 400 freestyle relay, a race so fast it actually erased two world records.
Few sporting events live up to the hype - this one exceeded it. The 32-year-old Lezak was nearly a body length behind Bernard as they made the final turn, but the American hugged the lane rope and stunningly overtook him on the very last stroke.
Wow!
“This has been happening my whole career,” Lezak said. “People have gotten on my lane line and sucked off of me, so I figured this is the one opportunity in my whole career to do that.”
Watching on deck, Phelps let out a resounding “Yeaaaaaah!” and thrust both arms toward the roof of the Water Cube. His quest to break Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals had survived what will likely be its toughest test - and almost certainly its most thrilling.
The Americans shattered the world record set by their “B” team the previous evening in the preliminaries, touching with a time of 3 minute, 8.24 seconds - nearly 4 full seconds below the 15-hour-old mark of 3:12.23.
www.dweetir.com
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DNP is a helluva drug
Jealousy is one hell of a conviction :)
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DNP is a helluva drug
stop taking it then