August 13, 2008 - 1:19PM

Australia's Stephanie Rice claimed a golden medley double after winning the 200 metres individual medley in world record time at the Water Cube.

Following up from her win in the 400m event on the opening day of the finals, Rice trailed Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry by .09 of a second at the final turn but powered home in the freestyle leg to win in a time of 2:08.45.

The time took almost half-a-second off the 2:08.92 record she set at the Olympic trials in Sydney.

Coventry took second in 2:08.59 with early pacesetter American Natalie Coughlin third home in 2:10.34.

Rice said the result made the long hours of training in the lead-up to the Games worthwhile.

"It's something I've dreamed about for a long time," she said.

"I put a lot of effort into this preparation so I'm really excited to see the results.

"It was a great battle, and that's what the Olympics is all about.

"Having Natalie Coughlin there really take it out was really good for me to get me out there.

"I knew that Coventry was going to be there the whole race and I knew she's extremely tough.

"It was really great for me to have her there pushing me along."

Rice says the race was even closer than she thought.

"It was extremely close and I didn't realise how close it was until I saw the scoreboard at the end.

"It was a phenomenal race."

But she says there will be no celebrations - at least, not yet.

"I've got the relay yet so no celebrating until I'm done."

Coughlin got out quickly to lead Rice at the first turn by 0.55, but lost the lead in the second 50m allowing Coventry to assume the lead after a strong backstroke leg.

Rice's fellow Australian Alicia Coutts started from lane two and finished fifth in 2:11.43.

Coventry set an Olympic record to qualify fastest for the final ahead of Rice and American duo Katie Hoff and Coughlin.

Rice vanquished Hoff in the 400m IM and finished ahead of Coventry to claim Australia's 400th Olympic gold medal.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 1:55 PM

The United States, led by Michael Phelps, have smashed the world record to win the 4x200m relay with Australia winning bronze.

It was the fifth gold medal in the four days of the meet for Phelps so far and his 11th career Olympic gold.

He remains on track for a record eight swimming gold medals at one Olympic Games.

The Americans led all the way and finished several body lengths in front of Russia, who just pipped Australia for bronze.

The Australian quartet of Patrick Murphy, Grant Hackett, Grant Brits and Nick Ffrost were pushed hard in the final stages by Italy. But Ffrost, swimming the anchor leg, responded to hold third place.

The American quartet of Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay broke the world record by more than four seconds, hitting the wall in 6:58.56. Russia was second in 7:03.70.

August 14, 2008 12:07pm

Brenton Rickard won a surprise silver medal with a superb swim in the 200m breaststroke final at the Beijing Olympics.
AUSTRALIA'S Brenton Rickard won a surprise silver medal with a superb swim in the men's 200m breaststroke final.
The fifth-fastest qualifier into the final, Rickard went hard from the gun and was in a medal position all the way.

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima won the gold medal in 2min 07.64sec, an Olympic record.

Rickard broke the Australian record, swimming 2:08.88. He came under severe pressure down the last 50m but kept his cool, out-touching two other rivals on his glide.

"I couldn't have taken another stroke,'' Rickard said.

"My heart was in my mouth. To see second next to my name was fantastic. I'm just so happy.

"I did a PB when it mattered most."

Hugues Duboscq of France, the 100m breaststroke bronze medallist, finished third again.

Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 4:15 PM

Australia has taken a surprise gold medal in the women's 200-metres freestyle relay in world record time at the Beijing Olympics.

The team of Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Linda McKenzie blew away the previous record by 5.78 seconds in a time of 7.44.31.

China finished in second 1.62 seconds behind, with defending champions the United States in third, 2.02 seconds behind the Australians.

Rice, who claimed her third gold medal of the Games, led the Australian team into second after a fantastic opening leg of 1.56.57 before Barratt took the lead in the second 200m.

But Palmer proved to be the major surprise packet with an exhilarating swim of 1.55.22 setting up a 3.14-second advantage going into the final 200m.

Anchor swimmer McKenzie hung on in the closing stages to smash the US's world record from March 2007 and win Australia's first gold medal in the event.

It also ended the Americans' unbeaten sequence of three Olympic titles in the event since Atlanta in 1996.

China took the silver medal in 7:45.93 ahead of the United States in 7:46.33.

It was 20-year-old Rice's third gold in the Beijing pool following her medley double win, with all her gold medals coming in world record time.

"It's so exciting. This is my last Olympic event here so what a great note to finish on - world record and a first place," Rice said.

"We went in knowing we had a really good chance and I wasn't nervous even though I have never led off a relay before. I was trying to enjoy the moment.

"I feel amazing, I finished such a great meet as part of the relay."

The United States broke a national record but it was nowhere near good enough to compete against the strong Aussie women's team, which now has won five gold to the United States's one.

"I did my best and ran out of room at the end and that's all I could do. It's tough but we broke the American record by four seconds so we can't complain," US anchor swimmer Katie Hoff said.

In the record splits, Rice swam 1:56.60, Barratt 1:56.58, Palmer 1:55.22 and MacKenzie 1:55.91.View historical results of the women's 4x200m freestyle relay.

Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 2:09 PM

Jessicah Schipper has taken bronze in the women's 200-metres butterfly at the Beijing Olympics.

Chinese pair Zige Liu and Liuyang Jiao completed the quinella, both going under Schipper's two-year-old world record of 2:05.40.

Liu, 19, clocked an astonishing 2:04.18 in winning the gold medal, ahead of Jiao in 2:04.72.

It is only the second time in Olympic history that China has finished first and second in an Olympic swimming event.

"I didn't feel pressure before the competition, I just tried to relax," Liu said.

"In the race I just swam at my own pace, not caring about the others.

"My coach told me that we have two Chinese swimmers in the final, so I didn't need to force myself to win gold, but that I just needed to try my best."

Schipper, who was under world record pace up to halfway, could not sustain her challenge and dropped back slightly to finish third in 2:06.26.

Nevertheless, she says she was very happy with her performance. "I came into this meet wanting an individual medal and I've got two of them," she said.

"The last 50 metres was hard work, it hurt quite a bit and the Chinese girls swam an awesome race. I am very happy for them both."

It was China's first win in the 2008 Olympic swimming competition and was greeted with a huge roar by the predominant home crowd inside the Water Cube.

Liu had signalled she was up for the challenge for the gold by posting the fastest qualifying time.View historical results for the women's 200m butterfly.

Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 3:42 PM

Frenchman Alain Bernard has won the men's 100-metres freestyle, edging out Australian Eamon Sullivan for the coveted sprint gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

In a hotly contested final, Bernard gained the ascendancy in the final 50m and became the first Frenchman to win the event in a time of 47.21 seconds.

World record holder Sullivan enjoyed a great start leading at the turn by 0.05 seconds, only to finish a close second in 47.32 after Bernard stormed back with a 24.68 last 50m.

It is Australia's second silver medal in the 100m, an event the country has not won since Michael Wenden at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

American Jason Lezak and Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho tied for the bronze medal in a time of 47.67, while Sullivan's fellow Australian Matt Targett finished seventh in 48.20.

Two-time champion Pieter van den Hoogenband finished in fifth in 47.75, missing an opportunity to become the first male to win the same event at three Olympic Games.

Bernard helped make up for his disappointment in the 4x100m freestyle relay, when he was mowed down by Lezak to hand the United States the gold medal and keep Michael Phelps's bid for eight alive.

"The best moment is when I turned back and I saw number one next to my name," Bernard said.

"It's huge, unbelievable. I don't know if I realise. At any moment I felt that I could be beaten.

"The relay was a lesson, to be beaten and passed was really shocking. I could have been down then, but after all the work from these last years I didn't want to let it go."

The world record in the event had fallen three times in Beijing.

Sullivan seized the mark from Bernard with a lead-off leg of 47.24 in the 4x100m freestyle relay on Monday.

Bernard regained the mark with a time of 47.20 in the first semi-final on Wednesday, and Sullivan snatched it back with his astonishing 47.05 in the second semi.

"Full credit to Alain, he swam a great race and really worked on my weaknesses," Sullivan said.

"I was maybe caught into swimming other people's races, I gave it 100 per cent, as I always do when I race.

"Putting in that great relay and the world record probably took its toll.

"I am looking forward to the 50m now."

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 2:21 PM

American Rebecca Soni has caused a sensational upset in the women's 200 metres breaststroke, defeating Australia's Leisel Jones at the Beijing Olympics.

Jones was the raging favourite going into the race but the 21-year-old Soni streaked clear in the final 50 metres to claim gold and break Jones's world record in a time of 2.20.22.

Jones claimed silver in 2.22.05 with Sara Nordenstam of Norway finishing with the bronze in 2.23.02.

After the race a smiling Jones shrugged off the defeat.

"I just gave it absolutely everything .. I don't care, I'm all done," she told Channel Seven.

"I've had the best time and I think that's the most important part. I'm just so happy in my life that I couldn't care less.

"No commiserations. It's the Olympic Games, it's what it's all about. It was a great experience, she was the better swimmer on the day, she really did a great job, and I couldnt be more happy."

Soni, who qualified fastest for the final, battled tirelessly to stay on Jones's shoulder before taking the lead in the last turn by only 0.01 seconds.

She then went on with the job leaving a clearly sluggish Jones in her wake to eclipse the previous world mark by 0.32 seconds.

It is the 22-year-old Australian's second silver in the event after finishing behind American Amanda Beard in Athens.

Jones has been the undisputed queen of women's breaststroke and broke through for her first individual Olympic gold in winning the 100m event on Tuesday.

"I really couldn't breathe that last 50, I was just digging deep and couldn't breathe. It was like at the (2006) Commonwealth Games," Jones said.

"Rebecca is a pretty good competitor, she was always going to go fast, it's good to see people swimming so fast.

"A silver medal is still a silver medal in the Olympics. I gave it everything, I couldn't have given more. It's been a long week and it's hard to get up for that."

Soni's surprise victory over the world champion reversed a run of defeats the American women swimmers had been experiencing against their powerful Australian counterparts.

"It just kind of flowed, it just happened, it felt great. I just kept it strong and powered to the end," Soni said.

"It feels great. The last 15m I had plenty left in me, I saw Leisel behind and just pushed for the wall.

"I didn't know what was going on, I just went for it. I thought I had a chance, but I wasn't over-confident."

Soni, who underwent minor heart surgery in 2006, was the runner-up to Jones in the 100m final, but she was too strong for the Aussie champion over the extra two laps.

Soni said she had been motivated by the sensational gold medal exploits of American team-mate Michael Phelps.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 2:10 PM

Australia's Libby Trickett had to settle for silver as German Britta Steffen won the women's 100 metres freestyle in the Beijing Olympic pool today.

World record-holder Trickett led at the turn and was in front until the final seconds when the fast-finishing Steffen mowed her down.

Steffen won in 53.12 seconds with Trickett just 0.04 seconds behind.

American Natalie Coughlin was third in 53.39.

Trickett had been put through the emotional wringer yesterday when she thought she had missed qualifying.

She was eventually handed the eighth qualifying spot after a Chinese swimmer was disqualified for a false start.

"I was just really grateful I got the opportunity ... so I really wanted to make the most of it and see what I could come up with," she said.

"And to walk away with the silver, I'm pretty damn proud."

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 2:21 PM

Australian shooter Warren Potent has won the bronze medal in the 50-metre rifle prone at the Beijing Olympics.

Ukrainian army officer Artur Ayvazian won gold while American Matthew Emmons took the silver medal.

With 12 of the 15 shooting events over, China have four golds, followed by the Czech Republic with two, and India, Finland, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine and the United States with one

Friday, August 15, 2008 - 7:21 PM

Australia's Jacqueline Lawrence produced a superb run in the women's K1 final at the Shunyi canoeing and kayaking venue on Friday to collect a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Under stunning blue skies on the outskirts of Beijing, Lawrence made it down the whitewater in a time of 206.94 seconds, 14.30 seconds behind gold-medal winner Slovakian Eolena Kaliska.

Austrian Violetta Peters Oblinger claimed the bronze medal.

The result was a stunning one for Big River Canoe Club kayaker Lawrence, whose best results so far in 2008 had been modest ones, including 15th and 28th finishes in World Cup competition.