The 4th day of swimming finals in Beijing saw Michael Phelps become part of an exclusive club, thanks to the gold medals he won during the session. He now has earned 11, more than any other Olympic athlete in history. His wins came in the 200 Fly after a World Record-setting 1:52.03 effort he put forth as his goggles were full of water. The second came from Team USA’s dominant showing in the 800 Free Relay. Phelps joined with staples Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, and relay newcomer Ricky Berens to obliterate the team’s previous global mark by over 5 seconds. In the process, they became the first to dip below 7 minutes, finishing with an impressive and emphatic 6:58.56.
Individually, Katie Hoff took on two event finals — 200 Free and 200 IM — and finished 4th in both. Fellow American Natalie Coughlin joined her in the 200 IM final where she edged Katie for the Bronze in 2:10.34. Katie’s time was 2:10.68. Australia’s Stephanie Rice improved her own World Record to 2:08.45, out touching Kirsty Coventry (2:08.59) at the wall. In the 200 Free, Katie posted a solid 1:55.78 swim to better her own American Record in the event. Italy’s Federica Pellegrini downed her own world standard with a 1:54.82 finish, claiming her first gold medal of the Games.
Other events contested during the session include the men’s 100 Free and 200 Breast semifinals, and the women’s 200 Fly semis. Aussie Eamon Sullivan shattered the World Record Alain Bernard set in semi #1 to take the top seed for the 100 Free final. The mark now stands at 47.05. American Jason Lezak, who famously ran down Bernard in the 400 Free Relay advanced with a 47.98, while Garrett Weber-Gale missed a spot in finals after hitting in 48.12.
The 200 Breast semis were topped by Kosuke Kitajima’s 2:08.61 Olympic Record from the first heat. Team USA’s Scott Spann grabbed the 3rd overall seed with a 2:09.08 performance. Teammate Eric Shanteau’s 2:10.10 was not fast enough to advance to the final.
Finally, Host Country China qualified both of their swimmers for the final with the 1st and 3rd seeds. World Record Holder Jessicah Schipper posted the 2nd time of the session with a 2:06.34 effort. Both Americans will also race in the final. Kathleen Hersey made it to the wall in 2:06.96, just ahead of Elaine Breeden’s 2:07.73.