Browsing: Beijing 2008

USA’s relay won the 400 medley relay with a world record of 3:29.34, beating their own world record of 3:30.68 set at the Olympics in Athens 2004, and securing Phelps his record breaking 8th gold medal. The Australian women also set at 400 medley relay world record, beating their own world mark of 3:55.74 with a new world record of 3:52.69.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry shattered the 200 backstroke world record with a time of 2:05.24, where USA’s Margaret Hoelzer’s world record from U.S. Trials last month was 2:06.09. And Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington took down the longest standing world record in style, when she swam the 800 free in a time of 8:14.10, where Janet Evans’ 16 year old world record was 8:16.22.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

USA’s Rebecca Soni beat Leisel Jones with a new 200 breaststroke world record of 2:20.22, where Jones’ world record was 2:20.54. Ryan Lochte beat Piersol and Vyatchanin in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:53.94, where Lochte’s and Piersol’s world record was 1:54.32. And Michael Phelps won his 6th gold medal at Beijing 2006 in the 200 IM, bettering his own world record from 1:54.80 to 1:54.23.

Sources: SwimInfo here, here and here

Liu Zige of China bettered the 200 butterfly world record with more than a second, with a time of 2:04.18 where the former world record of Jessicah Schipper from the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships was 2:05.40. And Australia’s Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barrat, Kylie Palmer and Linda Mackenzie swam the 800 free relay with a time of 7:44.31, where USA’s world record from the 2007 World Championships was 7:50.09.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

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.

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

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