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By Phillip Whitten & Michael Collins
SYDNEY, Sept. 22. The seventh, and next to last day of swimming in the Olympics produced one world record and three Olympic marks. Meanwhile, Team USA continued to dominate the medal count, winning three of five events.
Women's 200 Backstroke Final
Gold – Mocanu ROM 2:08.16
Silver – Maracineanu FRA 2:10.25
Bronze – Nakao JPN 2:11.05
4. Hagiwara JPN 2:11.21
5. Adkins USA 2:12.35
6. Zhivanevskaya ESP 2:12.75
7. Buschschulte GER 2:13.31
8. Stefanyshyn CAN 2:14.57
Romania's Diana Mocanu, 16, winner of the women's 100 meter backstroke earlier at the Games, won the 200 tonight in 2:08.16. Her time makes her the third fastest woman in history behind Hungary's Kristina Egerszegi and China's He Cihong. Still, she never seriously threatened Egerszegi's world or Olympic records.
France's Roxanna Maracineanu, the 1998 world champion, finished with the silver, and Japan's Mike Nakao finished well over the final 50 to take bronze ahead of teammate Tomoko Hagiwara who went in seeded second but faded to fourth.
American Amanda Adkins improved her time and moved up from seventh to fifth.
Men's 100 Butterfly Final
Gold – Froelander SWE 52.00 European Record
Silver – Klim AUS 52.18
Bronze – Huegill AUS 52.22
4. Crocker USA 52.44 National Record
5. Mintenko CAN 52.58 National record
6. Yamamoto JPN 52.58 National record
7. Rupprath GER 53.13
8. Poliakov RUS 53.13
Sweden's Lars Froelander gave Michael "Lumpy" Klim his lumps and skipped past Geoff "Skippy" Huegill to win the men's 100 meter butterfly. It was, in fact, a minor upset, but in Australia, which expected a one-two sweep by its heroes, it took on the dimensions of a major catastrophe.
In what easily was the fastest 100 butterfly field ever assembled, world record holder Klim took it out fast, his 24.10 well under his record pace, and turned first. Aussie teammate Geoff Huegill, who set an Olympic mark of 51.96 in semis, was close but both started to sputter on the way back and the field closed in. It came down to the touch at the end with Sweden's Lars Froelander coming up the winner, Klim second and Huegill third. American teenager, Ian Crocker, swam a spectacular race and might have won it had he been luckier on the timing of the touch. Still he set a new American record.
Women's 800 Free – Finals
Gold – Bennett USA 8:19.67 Olympic Record
Silver – Klochkova UKR 8:22.66 National record
Bronze – Sandeno USA 8:24.29
4. Rigamonti SUI 8:25.91 National record
5. Stockbauer GER 8:30.11
6. Chen CHN 8:30.58
7. Henke GER 8:31.97
8. Yamada JPN 8:37.39
The USA's Brooke Bennett, the defending Olympic champion, swam a lifetime best by more than four seconds and broke the Olympic record held by Janet Evans, becoming the second fastest performer all-time behind Evans. Teammate Kaitlin Sandeno, 17, also did a lifetime best by four second and took home the bronze medal, staving off a spirited challenge by Switzerland's Flavia Rigamonti. Ukraine's Yana Klochkova, who won both individual medley events, swam solidly throughout to take home a silver with her two golds.
Splits:
Bennett
1:00.50-1:02.37-1:02.50-1:02.46 = 4:07.83
1:02.71-1:02.78-1:03.52-1:02.83 = 4:11.84
Klochkova
1:00.84-1:02.63-1:03.11-1:03.50 = 4:10.08
1:03.37-1:03.37-1:03.11-1:02.73 = 4:12.58
Sandeno
1:01.83-1:03.09-1:03.46-1:03.89 = 4:12.27
1:03.58-1:03.59-1:03.00-1:01.85 = 4:12.02
Men's 50 Free Finals
Gold – Hall Jr. USA 21.98 TIE
Gold – Ervin USA 21.98 TIE
Bronze – v.d.Hoogenband NED 22.03
4. Vismara ITA 22.11
5. Kizierowski POL 22.22
6. Popov RUS 22.24
7. Foster GBR 22.41
8. Volynets UKR 22.51
The USA's Gary Hall Jr. and Anthony Ervin, teammates at the Phoenix (Arizona) Swim Club, tied for the gold in the most exciting race of the Games. It was the third gold medal tie in Olympic history. In 1984, the USA's Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer tied in the 100 free. In 1972, Sweden's Gunnar Larson and the USA's Tim McKee tied in the 400 IM; Larson was awarded the gold by two-thousandths of a second. (Afterwards timing was officially limited to hundredths of a second, as it was determined that the automatic timing system is accurate only to two decimal places.)
Hall said it took him a few seconds to realize he had tied his training partner. "The first thing you do is check your name and see the number next to it. It took me a while to realize there was another '1' up on the board and then I thought it was Pieter (van den Hoogenband) who had tied with me. When I realized it was Anthony, I was very happy. I couldn't have shared this medal with a nicer guy."
Holland's Pieter van den Hoogenband took third. Lorenzo Vismara of Italy was fourth. Bart Kizierowski of Poland, who also trains with Hall and Ervin under Coach Mike Bottom was fifth. Alex Popov, the double defending champion and overwhelming favorite of the crowd, finished sixth.
Women's 50 Free – Semi-Finals
Top 8 advance to the Final:
1. de Bruijn NED 24.13 World Record
2. Alshammar SWE 24.80
3. Torres USA 24.98
4. van Dyken USA 25.00
5. Voelker GER 25.22
6. Sheppard GBR 25.32
7. Minamoto JPN 25.43
8. Moravcova SVK 25.49
Inky, the flying Dutchwoman, set her third world record of these Olympic Games to qualify first for tomorrow night's final in the 50 free in 24.13 seconds. Her time took an astonishing 26-hundredths of a second off the record she had set earlier this year and puts her in a class of her own.
Sweden's Therese Alshammar came through in second in 24.80. America's Dara Torres swam the only other sub-25, her 24.98 qualifying third, while defending champion, Amy van Dyken (25.00) was just two-hundredths back.
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