Olympics: US sets world record in men's 4x100 freestyle

Monday, 11 August 2008

BEIJING - The United States broke the world record in the men's 4x100-metres freestyle relay Monday, winning gold in 3min 08.24 to keep Michael Phelps's dream of eight Olympic gold medals alive.

Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak overcame a vaunted French quartet with anchor Lezak surging past top French sprinter Alain Bernard in the final 10 meters to secure the victory.

The triumph was one that Phelps had to have if he is to beat the Olympic standard of seven gold medals at one Games established by swimmer Mark Spitz in 1972.

The French quartet of Amaury Leveaux, Fabien Gilot, Frederick Bousquet, and Bernard took silver in 3:08.32.

Lead-off swimmer Eamon Sullivan set an individual 100m free world record of 47.24sec in setting Australia on the road to bronze in 3:09.91. Sullivan, who eclipsed Bernard's previous mark of 47.50, was joined on the Australian squad by Andrew Lauterstein, Ashley Callus and Matt Targett.

The medallists as well as fourth-place Italy (3:11.48) and fifth-place Sweden (3:11.92) were under the world record of 3:12.23 set by the United States in the heats on Sunday night.