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China Goes 1-2 In Butterfly

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A Tribune wire report

Published: August 14, 2008

BEIJING - Liu Zige has given China its first swimming gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, winning the women's 200-meter butterfly today in a world record with her teammate Jiao Liuyang taking the silver.

Liu touched in 2 minutes, 4.18 seconds, bettering the old mark of 2:05.40 set by Jess Schipper of Australia at the 2006 Pan Pacific championships in Canada.

Jiao finished second in 2:04.72, also going under the previous record. Schipper earned the bronze in 2:06.26.

Defending champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland finished fourth. Americans Elaine Breeden and Kathleen Hersey were seventh and eighth.
Kosuke Kitajima of Japan became the first man to sweep the breaststroke gold medals at two straight Olympics with a win in the 200 final.

Kitajima, who won the 100 breaststroke three days ago, successfully defended his 200 championship in an Olympic-record 2 minutes, 7.64 seconds. He holds the world mark at 2:07.51.

Brenton Rickard of Australia was second in 2:08.88 and Hugues Duboscq of France was third in 2:08.94.

Alain Bernard of France won the 100 freestyle, beating out world record-holder Eamon Sullivan of Australia.

Bernard touched in 47.21 seconds this morning, with Sullivan taking the silver in 47.32.

American Jason Lezak and Cesar Cielo of Brazil tied for the bronze in 47.67. Two-time defending champion Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands was fifth in 47.75.

Bernard avenged his loss to Lezak on the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay Monday, when the 32-year-old American outtouched Bernard at the wall. That preserved Michael Phelps' bid to win eight gold medals at these games.
Michael Phelps advanced to the 200-meter individual medley final, setting himself up to win his sixth gold medal.

The American won his semifinal heat this morning in 1 minute, 57.70 seconds. Phelps' teammate and main rival, Ryan Lochte, won his heat in 1:57.69, making him the top qualifier, with Phelps second overall. They will swim the final Friday morning.

Phelps is 5-for-5 in his events so far, setting world records each time.

"I'm just trying to get through everything," Phelps said. "It's a lot of racing and it's not easy."

Before the 200 IM prelims, Lochte and Aaron Peirsol set up a rematch in the 200 backstroke, with the teammates qualifying 1-2 for the event in which they share the world record.

Lochte's time of 1:56.29 was just 0.06 seconds ahead of Peirsol, who clocked 1:56.35.

Markus Rogan of Austria, the silver medalist behind Peirsol four years ago in Athens, was third-quickest in 1:56.64.

American Eric Shanteau swam a personal best in the 200 breaststroke semifinals - his only event in Beijing - but it wasn't enough to advance.

Shanteau touched in 2 minutes, 10.10 seconds, placing him 10th.

He was 0.13 seconds out of the eighth and last qualifying spot for the four-lap race.

The 24-year-old swimmer was diagnosed with testicular cancer a few weeks before last month's U.S. trials.

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