Thread: Eight is enough: Phelps clinches record with relay gold

Michael Phelps celebrates on the pool deck as teammate Jason Lezak finishes the final leg of the men's 4x100 meter medley relay. The U.S. win gave Phelps his Olympic-record eighth gold medal.

BEIJING — Michael Phelps and his U.S. teammates crowned the greatest single Olympic performance Sunday morning (Saturday night ET) with a win in the 4x100-meter medley relay.
The victory gave Phelps his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, the most golds ever won by an athlete at one Games.


RESULT: Men's 4x100 meter medley relay

The USA won the 4x100 medley relay with a strong anchor leg by Jason Lezak in the freestyle. The U.S. men won in a world record time of 3 minutes, 29.34 seconds. Australia was second and Japan third.

Aaron Peirsol opened with a 53.16 in the backstroke, followed by Brendan Hansen in the breast. The Americans trailed by .42 when Phelps entered the water for the butterfly leg. He took the lead and turned it over to Lezak, who didn't need the heroics he showed in the 4x100 freestyle relay earlier this week.

Phelps was having trouble collecting his thoughts in the excitement moments after the race.

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"I don't know what to feel right now. There are so many emotions running through my head, so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom," he said.

When Phelps won gold No. 7 on Saturday with an incredible finish in the men's 100-meter butterfly, he earned a $1 million bonus long ago promised by sponsor Speedo for tying Mark Spitz's seven golds at the 1972 Olympics.

With gold No. 8, Phelps earned a singular place in the Olympic record books.


BLOG: Phelps' record, as it happened

"There is no comparison in the swimming world for what Michael has done," said Gregg Troy, coach of U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte, who finished third to Phelps in two races here in Beijing but also won gold alongside him in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

It's hard to find comparisons even in the sports world overall. Phelps is solidly in the company of seemingly invincible superstars such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

"I think years and years down the road we'll realize more and more how amazing he is and how special he really is," U.S. teammate Natalie Coughlin said.


PHELPS TRACKER: American clinches eighth gold

The 23-year-old from Baltimore capped a brilliant meet at the Water Cube. He set a world record in every event aside from the 100 butterfly which he narrowly won on Saturday, completing a program of 17 races in nine days.

On Saturday, he won No. 7 in his closest race in Beijing. Phelps finished the 100-meter butterfly with a half-stroke that looked like a mistake and, on some replays, like a loss.

He finished in 50.58 seconds — not a world record but a personal-best time and just ahead of Serbia's Milorad Cavic's 50.59.

Phelps has won 14 Olympic gold medals and 16 total medals. He holds the record for most medals won by a man, surpassing Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, who won 15 from 1972-1980. Soviet female gymnast Larysa Latynina holds the record with 18.

He won six gold medals and two bronze at the 2004 Athens Games. Phelps has already said he'll swim in the 2012 London Games.

Phelps' victories in Beijing include: 200-meter freestyle, 200 and 400 individual medleys, 100 and 200 butterfly, 4x200 free relay, 4x100 medley relay, 4x100 free relay.
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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics ... gold_N.htm

So wonderful!

He's a horse and did the USA proud . He was almost always in the water swimming some race while our swimmers where resting . We did get to watch history . I'm very happy for Micheal Phelps .