More world records fall at Beijing Olympics
BEIJING -- Two more world records fell at the Beijing Olympics on Monday, with Kosuke Kitajima of Japan winning the 100 breaststroke in 58.91 seconds to get a gold medal.
Kirsty Coventry also set a record, winning her 100 backstroke heat in 58.77.
Kitajima pounded the water defiantly and let out a scream after breaking Brendan Hansen's 2-year-old record of 59.13. Alexander Dale Oen of Norway took the silver medal and Hugues Duboscq of France took bronze.
Coventry bettered Natalie Coughlin's mark of 58.97 set at the U.S. trials last month.
They'll go head to head in Tuesday's final. Coughlin won her heat in 59.43 with a nice, comfortable swim.
"I just got to go home and take care of myself. It's going to be a tight final," Coventry said. "Natalie's just so good at racing and planning out her races, so I just expect nothing but fast, fast swimming tomorrow morning."
Five world records had been set through the first three days at the Water Cube.
Michael Phelps, who has already won one gold medal in record time, moved on to the 200 free final with the fourth-fastest time of the semifinals, and then won his second gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
In the 200 free, the American finished in 1:46.28 to finish behind teammate Peter Vanderkaay (1:45.76) and Park Tae-hwan of South Korea (1:45.99).
Jean Basson of South Africa also went faster in the other heat, winning in 1:46.13.
"I wanted to go 1:45, and if it weren't for that messed-up finish I would have done it," Phelps said, hustling off to get ready for the big race. "I just wanted to save as much energy as possible for the relay."
Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak were joining Phelps on the relay team, facing the enormous pressure of trying to help him get the second of eight gold medals. The French counter with a powerful team that includes world record holder Alain Bernard on the anchor leg.
Coventry put down quite a challenge to Coughlin. Then again, Coughlin has been known to rise to the challenge -- when Hayley McGregory broke her world record in the prelims at the U.S. trials, Coughlin came back in the very next heat to take it back.
Libby Trickett of Australia just missed another world record in the women's 100 butterfly, winning gold with a time of 56.73. Christine Magnuson of the United States claimed the silver (57.10) and another Aussie, Jess Schipper, took the bronze (57.25).