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After five golds, Phelps bows out of relay
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-21 08:07
Michael Phelps ended his magnificent Olympics with a magnanimous
gesture. He matched Mark Spitz's record of four individual gold medals in the
pool, then gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian
Crocker — whom Phelps had just beaten.
Michael Phelps, of
the United States, reacts after winning gold in the 100-meter butterfly
with an Olympic-record time of 51.25 at the Olympic Aquatic Centre during
the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Friday, Aug. 20, 2004. Andriy Serdinov
of the Ukraine is at right. [Reuters] | With five
gold medals and two bronze overall, Phelps is content to win a historic eighth
medal while sitting in the stands Saturday night.
His Olympics are over.
"We came into this meet as a team," Phelps said. "We'll leave here as a
team."
In an Olympics that became his personal showcase, the 19-year-old from
Baltimore came through with another stirring performance Friday in the 100
butterfly. He rallied to beat the man who held the world record and defeated him
at both the world championships and the U.S. trials.
Normally, the winner of the 100 fly gets a spot in the medley relay final.
But everyone who participates on a medal-winning relay team — whether it's the
preliminaries or a final — is rewarded.
Therefore, Phelps still can tie Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin's record of
eight medals in one Olympics, set at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games. The United
States has never lost a medley relay and will be an overwhelming favorite again
— no matter who swims the fly.
"It's tough to give up the relay. It really is," Phelps said. "But Ian is one
of the greatest relay swimmers in the world. He wasn't feeling well during the
400 relay. Hopefully, he'll step up big in the medley relay."
Certainly Phelps had every reason to be tired, racing for the 17th time in
seven days. He competed in the medley relay in the morning, while Crocker had
been able to rest up for their showdown.
And though he says he's looking forward to breaking training — "It's
McDonald's time" — no one doubts he had another race left in him.
"I'm speechless," said Crocker, looking to redeem himself after his poor
performance last Sunday. "It's a huge gift, but difficult to accept. It makes me
want to just go out there and tear up the pool tomorrow."
Another thing: Phelps is sensitive to teammates who have been overshadowed by
his amazing accomplishments leading up to these games.
"It's the right thing to do," Phelps said.
His gesture wasn't lost on the International Olympic Committee.
"He's a great champion," said IOC president Jacques Rogge, who watched
Phelps' victory from a front-row seat at the Aquatic Center. "Definitely, he is
going to be one of the icons of the games."
In Friday's race, Crocker started strong and made the turn under world-record
pace, about a half-body length ahead of Phelps, who was lagging in fifth place.
Using his huge wingspan, Phelps began to dig furiously into the water,
leaving behind a wake that resembled a washing machine churning a load of
clothes. With 20 meters to go, he had pulled up on Crocker's shoulder. At the
wall, both men lunged for the gold.
Phelps got it, beating Crocker by a minuscule four-hundredths of a second in
an Olympic record of 51.25. Andriy Serdinov of Ukraine took the bronze with a
time of 51.36.
Spitz was in the stands to watch Phelps' final race. As the teenager walked
around the deck with his latest gold medal, he spotted Spitz holding up four
fingers.
"Just to be mentioned in the same sentence with him is unbelievable," Phelps
said.
In all, Spitz won a record seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games. Phelps
will fall short of that record, but this performance — in a swimming world that
is much more competitive than it was three decades ago — could very well be more
impressive than the one he was chasing.
The United States picked up another gold medal in the 50 free, with
29-year-old Gary Hall Jr. defending the title he shared with fellow American
Anthony Ervin in Sydney four years ago.
It was an especially sweet victory for the irreverent Hall, who was upset
about being left off a couple of U.S. relay teams. Swimming as though he had
something to prove, he recovered from a slow start to touch in 21.93 — beating
Croatia's Duje Draganja by one-hundredth of a second.
Hall ripped off his cap, threw up his arms in a defiant pose and climbed out
of the pool to take a bow. He plans to be back for the 2008 Beijing Games.
"Why not?" he asked, savoring the 10th medal of his career. "Defiance. It's
fun."
Roland Schoeman of South Africa, a close friend of Hall's, took the bronze in
22.02. Another American, Jason Lezak, was fifth in 22.11.
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe won her third medal of the games, capturing gold
in the 200 backstroke. She led all the way and finished in 2:09.19. Russia's
Stanislava Komarova took silver in 2:09.72, while the bronze went to Reiko
Nakamura of Japan in 2:09.88.
Coventry swims at Auburn University, although her family remains in the
Zimbabwe capital of Harare. She already had a silver from the 100 back and a
bronze from the 200 individual medley.
American Margaret Hoelzer finished fifth.
The United States lost its hold on the women's 800 freestyle when Ai Shibata
of Japan won gold in 8:25.54 — the first major international medal of her
career. Laure Manaudou of France claimed silver in 8:24.96, her third medal of
these games.
The U.S. team did manage a medal when Diana Munz beat out countrywoman Kalyn
Keller for the bronze, overtaking her in the final meters. Munz's time was
8:26.61 — just 36-hundredths ahead of Keller in the grueling race, the longest
on the women's program.
The Americans had won the event in five consecutive Olympics, including
back-to-back titles by Janet Evans in 1988 and 1992 and Brooke Bennett in 1996
and 2000. Tiffany Cohen started the streak at the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles
Games.
Munz had no complaints about finishing third. She had expected to swim the
800 at the Sydney Games, only to get squeezed out of a spot at the U.S. trials
by just five-hundredths of a second.
"It was a long wait, but I've done it," Munz said. "I trained four years ...
so of course I'm excited and happy that I'm third."
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