Author: rokur

In the 100 freestyle semifinals, the world record of 47.24 was bettered first by Alan Bernard with a time of 47.20, and then by Eamon Sullivan with a time of 47.05. Federica Pellegrini bettered her own 200 freestyle world record from 1:55.45 in the heats to 1:54.82 in the final. Michael Phelps bettered his 200 butterfly world record from 1:52.09 to 1:52.03. Stephanie Rice bettered the 200 IM world record from 2:08.92 to 2:08.45. And finally, USA bettered the 4×200 freestyle world record from 7:03.24 to 6:58.56.

Sources: SwimInfo, here here, here, here, here and here.

Aaron Piersol bettered his 100 backstroke world record from 52.89 at U.S. Trials to 52.54 now in Bejing, and Michael Phelps improved similarily his 200 freestyle world record from 1:43.86 to 1:42.96. Sources: SwimInfo here and here

Federica Pellegrini clocked 1:55.45 at Beijing 2008 prelims today, to erase the former mark of 1:55.55, held by Laure Manaudou. Source: SwimInfo

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set a new world record in the 100 back semifinal with a time of 58.77. Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima became the first man under 59 seconds in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.91. And Eamon Sullivan led off Australia’s 4×100 freestyle relay with a 100 free world record time of 47.24, in a blistering race where 5 teams went under the 4×100 world record mark from yesterday, and USA just barely overtook France at the finish to claim the gold and world record time of 3:08.24.

Sources: SwimInfo here, here and here

The American team of Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner and Matt Grevers took down the world record from the 3:12.46 set by USA in 2006, to 3:12.23 this morning.

Source: SwimInfo

Both 400 IM world records were bettered at the 2008 Olympics yesterday, when first USA’s Michael Phelps swam 4:03.84, smashing his own world record of 4:05.25 from the U.S. Olympic Trials, and Australia’s Stephanie Rice swam 4:29.45, more than half a second faster than the 4:31.12 of Katie Hoff from the U.S. Trials.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

Grant Hackett bettered his own 800 free short course world record yesterday, from 7:25.28 to 7:23.42, at the Victorian Championships in Victoria, Australia. Source: SwimInfo.

On July 5th, Margaret Hoelzer set a new 200 meter backstroke world record with the time of 2:06.09, beating Kirsty Coventry’s world standard of 2:06.39 from February.

Source: SwimInfo

On July 4th, Aaron Piersol tied Ryan Lochte’s 200 backstroke world record, and Phelps set a new 200 IM world record in the time of 1:54.80. Lochte swam 1:54.34 in the 200 backstroke, and 1:55.22 in the 200 IM (third fastest time in history).

Source: SwimInfo here and here

The agency is studying Viagra’s effects in athletes, but hasn’t yet banned it. Viagra is not on the International Olympic Committee’s list of prohibited drugs, so athletes can take it at the Beijing Olympics.

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