US relay thriller keeps Phelps’s eight-gold dream alive

The French took the silver in 3:08.32. Adding to French disappointment, Bernard’s individual 100m free world record of 47.50 was eclipsed by Australian lead-off swimmer Eamon Sullivan, who clocked 47.24 in setting Australia on course for bronze in 3:09.91.

All three medal-winning squads were under the world record of 3:12.23 set by the US heat swimmers yesterday night.

The relay had been touted as the biggest stumbling block to Phelps’s bid for an unprecedented eight gold medals at one Games.

Just how seriously the French were taking the clash was made clear early today, when Amaury Leveaux withdrew from the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle in order to save himself for the relay final.

The tension was ratcheted up yesterday night, when US heat swimmers Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner and Matt Grevers swam a world record three minutes 12.23sec, with France and Australia also swimming under the previous world record in the preliminaries.

For the final, the US fielded Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Jones and Lezak.

The French sent out Leveaux, Fabien Gilot, Frederick Bousquet and Bernard, while Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein, Ashley Callus and Matt Targett lined up for Australia.

When Lezak secured the last-gasp triumph, Phelps raised his arms in triumph on the deck.

The drama unfolded an hour and 13 minutes after Phelps – who won the 400m individual medley in world record-crushing style yesterday – continued his quest for a second individual gold in the 200m free semi-finals.

Phelps notched the fourth-fastest time overall of 1:46.28 as he conserved energy for the relay.

Teammate Peter Vanderkaay topped the times in 1:45.76, with South Korean Park Tae-Hwan second in an Asian record of 1:45.99.

Even before Phelps hit the water, the Water Cube was buzzing as Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry broke the women’s 100m backstroke world record with a time of 58.77sec in the semi-finals.

She broke the previous record of 58.97 set by reigning Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin at the US trials in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 1.

Coughlin won her semi-final with a time of 59.43.

Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima defended his 100m breaststroke gold from Athens with a world record time of 58.91sec.

Kitajima broke the previous record of 59.13 set by American Brendan Hansen at Irvine, California, on August 1, 2006.

Norway’s Alexander Dale Oen took the silver in 59.20, four-hundredths slower than his leading semi-final time, and France’s Hugues Duboscq claimed the bronze in 59.37.

Hansen was shut out of the medals, finishing fourth in his only individual event in Beijing thanks to his sensational failure to qualify for the 200m breast at the US trials.

Libby Trickett gave Australia’s vaunted women’s team another gold, capturing the 100m butterfly in 56.73sec.

Christine Magnuson of the United States took silver in 57.10, with Australia’s Jessicah Schipper third in 57.25.

Britain’s Rebecca Adlington won the women’s 400m freestyle gold in thrilling style, surging past American Katie Hoff on the final length to win in 4:03.22.

Hoff was second in 4:03.28, and Joanne Jackson completed a great race for Britain by taking bronze in 4:03.52.

Italy’s world record-holder Federica Pellegrini was fifth and French star Laure Manaudou eighth.