Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay: Australia smashes world record for gold

(L-R) Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Lisbeth Trickett and Jessicah Schipper of Australia (Photo by credit: Bello/Getty Images)

The final of the Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was held in the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube, in Beijing, China, on August 17, 2008.

The Australian team won the gold medal in a new world record time, 3 minutes 52.69 seconds.

Australian swimmer competes. (Photo credit: Chen Kai/Xinhua)

Australian swimmers celebrate. (Photo credit: Fei Maohua/Xinhua)

German Britta Steffen sets Olympic record to win Women's 50m Freestyle

Britta Steffen stands on the podium with her medal. (Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Britta Steffen of Germany won the Women's 50m Freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday.

Steffen clocked in an Olympic record of 24.06 seconds to beat the previous mark of 24.13 set up by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands on September 22, 2000.

American Dara Torres got the silver in 24.07 and Australian Cate Campbell finished third in 24.17.

(L-R) Dara Torres, Britta Steffen and Cate Campbell (Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Britta Steffen smiles. (Photo credit: Ding Xu/Xinhua)

Britta Steffen waves. (Photo credit: Chen Kai/Xinhua)

Tunisian Oussama Mellouli wins Men's 1,500m Freestyle Olympic gold

Oussama Mellouli celebrates on the podium. (Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

The Men's 1500m Freestyle final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games took place in the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube, in Beijing, China, on August 17, 2008.

Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia won the gold medal in the event with 14 minutes 40.84 seconds.

Oussama Mellouli swims. (Photo credit: Chen Kai/Xinhua)

Oussama Mellouli celebrates. (Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Oussama Mellouli (L) receives congratulations. (Photo credit: Fei Maohua/Xinhua)

Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay: Phelps wins record eighth gold

Phelps smiles with the American flag wearing his eighth gold (Photo credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Women's 200m Freestyle: Pellegrini seals world record win

Federica Pellegrini kisses the gold medal. (Photo credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

(Beijing August 13) -- Italy's Federica Pellegrini won gold with a world record time of 1:54.82 in the Women's 200m Freestyle final at the National aquatics center on Wednesday, August 13.

Pellegrini's time was 0.63 seconds under the old world record mark. The swim was all the more impressive because of Pellegrini's heavy Beijing 2008 Olympic Games schedule.

Sara Isakovic of Slovenia, the fastest qualifier into the final on Tuesday, August 12, took silver in 1:54.97.

China's hopes for a surprise gold medal in the race looked good early on with Pang Jiaying swimming strongly, but she faded in the last 50m. Nevertheless, she had done enough to hold on for a bronze medal in 1:55.05 - and to set an Asian record.

Katie Hoff of the United States, who qualified second fastest for the final, finished fourth in an Americas record time of 1:55.78.

Camelia Alina Potec of Romania, the defending Olympic champion, finished in fifth place in 1:56.87.

Men's 100m Backstroke: Peirsol (USA) grabs gold and world record

Peirsol celebrates his win. (Photo credit: Chen Kai/Xinhua)

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(BEIJING, August 12) -- Aaron Peirsol of the United States came back from a lackluster semifinal swim to win the gold medal in the Men's 100m Backstroke final at the National Aquatics Center on Tuesday, August 12.

Peirsol, the defending champion and world record holder, qualified fifth fastest in 53.56 for the final but showed his class in swimming down Liam Tancock of Great Britain who turned in front at the 50m 0.49 seconds under the world record mark.

Peirsol surged ahead to win comfortably in 52.45 to beat the world record of 52.89 he set in July.

After qualifying second fastest for the final, Peirsol's USA teammate Matt Grevers finished with the silver medal in 53.11.

Hayden Stoeckel of Australia, who qualified fastest for the final in an Olympic record 52.97, deadheated with Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin for the bronze medal in 53.18.

Tancock faded badly in the final 50m to finish sixth.

Peirsol has confirmed his dominance of this event in emphatic fashion despite slow heat and semifinal swims. His form will be a shot in the arm for the US Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay team with Phelps also in such irresistible form and they must go into the event as unbackable favorites.

Men's 200m Freestyle: Record-setting Phelps takes third goldMen's 200m Freestyle: Record-setting Phelps takes third gold

Michael Phelps waves to the spectators. (Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

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(BEIJING, August 12) -- Michael Phelps (USA) eased his way to gold and a world record in the Men's 200m Freestyle final on Tuesday at the National Aquatic Center, and remains on course to win eight gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

World record holder and world champion Phelps had been fourth-fastest into the final in 1:46.28, but stepped up a gear when it was required.

He won in 1:42.96 to beat his previous world mark of 1:43.86 set in Melbourne in 2007.

Park Tae-hwan from the Republic of Korea, who won the Gold medal in the 400m Freestyle on Sunday, was second to Phelps throughout the race and held off a challenge from Peter Vanderkaay (USA) to touch for the silver medal in 1:44.85, 1.89 seconds behind the American.

Vanderkay, who had qualified fastest for the final, won the bronze medal in 1:45.14.

Phelps won the bronze medal in the 200m Freestyle at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, but left no doubts as to who now dominates the event after easily dismissing Park's challenge.

So far, the only scare in his gold medal clean sweep bid has been in the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle relay, where the US came from behind to just edge out France in a memorable final on Monday.

Phelps will now turn his attention to the Men's 200m Butterfly, an event in which he is the defending Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder. The final for the 200m Butterfly will be held on the morning of Wednesday, 13 August.

(L-R) Park Taehwan, Michael Phelps and Peter Vanderkaay (Photo credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Michael Phelps celebrates. (Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Break storke Gold for Kosuke Kitajima (Swimming)

Kosuke Kitajima of Japan added another gold to his Breaststroke fame in Men’s 100m Breaststroke on 11th August 2008. Alexander Dale Oen of Norway finished second. Hugues Dubosvq of France took bronze.