New Delhi: US athlete Michael Phelps swam to his first gold in the 400 m medley event at the Beijing Olympic Games, setting a new world record. The second gold medal came at a team event — The 4x100 m freestyle relay. Team USA did their bit in style to grab gold in record time yet again.
Then came 200 m freestyle — an event that had brought him the bronze medal at the Olympics the last time too. Phelps knew things were going to be different this time around, which he later proved to the world when he swam to the finish in record time to claim the gold.
He tackled the 200 m butterfly event the next day. Phelps, who had clocked the Olympic record at Athens, must have decided to raise the bar, for not only did he win the gold medal again, he clocked the world record, and announced the half-way mark to his aim of clinching a total of eight medals.
Team US, which had set the American record at 4x200 m freestyle event at the Athen Olympics, went one up at Beijing. It won the gold and set the world record.
Then came the 200 m medley, with Phelps adding another world record to his name.
The last of his individual races was the 100 m butterfly event. Serbian Milorad Cavic took the lead from the start, and just when the world was fighting to disbelieve that Phelps' date with destiny will be denied, the American, in a final surge finished first — 1/100th of a second ahead of Cavic.
And then came the unprecedented eighth gold — a thrilling 4X100 m medley relay that saw Phelps pull his team ahead of the Australians. Phelps set yet another world record but more than that he permanently reserved a place for himself on the list of Olympic greats.
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