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Weather changes, Games continue uninterupted

Gloomy skies and thunder showers were the order of the day but most events on the Games proper were conducted without much interruption on day seven of the XX1Xth Olympic Games continued in the Chinese capital here on Thursday.

The Beijing weather took a U turn, ending the hot and humid conditions the Olympians experienced last week with temperatures running as high as 34 degrees Celsius. However, light drizzles which developed in the last two days turned into thunder showers, making life comfortable for some competitors while disrupting events such as tennis.

Nevertheless, the excitement was at its best at the Water Cube today - the National Aquatic Centre. Despite the American dominance during the last four days with Micheal Phelps winning five gold medals here to increase his Olympic gold haul for a record 11, things did not go well for the USA in the four swimming finals worked off today.

The Americans, who had won seven gold medals, five silver and seven bronze in swimming alone during the past four days, had to be satisfied with just two gold medals in the four finals worked off this morning.

It was the hosts China’s day at the Water Cube with Zige Liu and Liuyang Jiao making a clean sweep in women’s 200m butterfly final. Liu thrilled the home crowd when she bagged China’s first swimming gold medal at the Beijing Games with a timing of two minutes, 4.18 seconds - a new world record. Liu, who had qualified fastest for the final in an Asian record of 2:06.25, lowered the existing world mark by 1.22 seconds.

It turned out to be a double celebration for the home supporters who were in their numbers. Though China has dominated in diving, it was for the first time that they took major honours in swimming. Liu’s team mate Jiao finished second in 2:04.72 to take the silver medal. But former world record holder Jessicah Schipper of Australia, who recovered from a poor heat swim to qualify second fastest for the final, took the Chinese pair out hard and early and was 1.12 seconds under her own world mark at the halfway mark.

But the Aussie lass tired in the second half of the race and was overtaken in the final 50m, having to make go with the bronze medal in a time of 2:06.26. Defending Olympic champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland finished a poor fourth in 2:07.02.

Then came that shock of the day as Australia sprang one of the upsets of the swimming competition when their unheralded women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team won the gold medal in style - with a new world record timing of seven minutes and 44.31 seconds, slicing 5.78 off the previous best time.

Anchored by double individual medley gold medallist Stephanie Rice, Australia trailed the French at the first changeover but Bronte Barratt then swam an inspiring second leg to push the Australians to the front. Kylie Palmer next delivered a cutting third leg with a split of 1:55.22, driving Australia clear of the chasing Chinese who were left fighting the USA.

Then in the last change, the Australians cut 4.71 seconds under the world mark. USA’s Katie Hoff and China’s Pang Jiaying chased Australia’s Linda Mackenzie by swimming 1:54 splits. They were eating into Mackenzie’s lead, but failed to catch her. After holding second place for most of the relay, China finished with the silver in an Asian record time of 7:45.93.

France’s Alain Bernard turned the tables on world record holder Eamon Sullivan of Australia to win the gold medal in the Men’s 100m Freestyle, in an exciting battle for supremacy. Sullivan and Bernard exchanged world records on Wednesday with Sullivan responding to Bernard’s world record of 47.20 in the first semifinal by lowering the mark by another 0.15 to 47.05 in the second semifinal.

Today Bernard enjoyed the last laugh, claiming the gold medal in a time of 47.21. Sullivan was 0.04 outside world record pace at the 50m mark and looked comfortable, only to tire and let Bernard bring the race home to the wall-touch first and relegate Sullivan to the silver medal in a time of 47.32.

But the biggest disappointment was Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, who recorded his quickest time in eight years to qualify for the final, failed in his quest for a record three straight 100m Olympic titles, finishing fifth in 47.75.

China continued to take a commanding lead in the latest medals standings, on day seven of the XX1Xthe Olympiad. The hosts have bagged 22 gold medals, eight silver and five bronze.

The US is still way behind, though they remained in the second spot. They have just ten gold medals, nine silver and 15 bronze to their credit.

In the third place is South Korea with six golds, seven silver and three bronze medals, followed by Italy with six golds, five bronze and three silver medals.

In a rematch of his Athens quarterfinal loss, Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez this time prevailed over defending Olympic champion Khasan Baroev of Russia 5-0, 1-1, to claim the gold in the Men’s Greco-Roman 120kg wrestling weight class today.

Lopez was knocked out by Baroev in the quarterfinals of the Athens Games to finish fifth. Lopez’s gold is the first for Cuba in Beijing. As a traditional wrestling powerhouse, Cuba has collected five wrestling gold medals at previous Olympic Games.

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