Phelps blow as China make history
By Talek Harris | AFP –
America’s Ryan Lochte left record-chasing Michael Phelps trailing Saturday in a storming start to the London Olympics — while China’s Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen wrote their name in the record books.
Lochte’s 400m individual medley showdown with Phelps turned out to be a no-contest as he dominated to win in 4min 05.18sec, ahead of Brazilian Thiago Pereira and Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, with Phelps back in fourth.
The loss is a setback for 16-time medallist Phelps, who memorably won a record eight titles in Beijing, and needs just three more medals to overhaul Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s all-time best of 18.
“It was just a crappy race,” Phelps said. “I felt fine the first 200 and then I couldn’t really go the last 100.”
Phelps has another six events to go. But Lochte was not the only star of the first full day of action as Sun became China’s first ever male Olympic champion in the pool, with a commanding swim in the 400m freestyle.
Sun’s clash with champion Park Tae-Hwan was also much anticipated, but it almost didn’t happen after the South Korean was disqualified from his heat for a false start, before being reinstated after an 11th-hour appeal.
Their race was a classic, with Sun gradually reeling in the leading Park before leaving him for dead over the closing stages with a time of 3:40.14. Park took silver with America’s Peter Vanderkaay claiming bronze.
But the stand-out swim of the pool’s opening night belonged to Ye, 16, who shattered the
Comments
Category: World News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
