OLYMPICS NEWS
August 18, 2008
A History-Making Games
Olympic athletes smash records on land and in the water
Eight is Enough, for Now
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps made history on Sunday by winning his eighth gold medal at the Beijing games. With six gold medals from the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, Phelps has now won 14 gold medals. This makes him the all-time golden boy of the modern Olympics. But that's not all. The swimmer's final lap helped the U.S. swim team set a new world record. He swam the butterfly in the 400-meter medley relay in 50.15 seconds.
 |  DAVID J. PHILLIP—AP Dara Torres celebrates silver in the 50-meter freestyle. |
Phelps has set his sights on the 2012 Games in London, England. While he is eager to try out a new swimming program that might include new events, he isn't making any decisions yet. He's ready for a vacation! "When we train every day, and sometimes we do sets or workouts we don't like, [coach] Bob [Bowman] says it's putting money in the bank, and at the end of the year we'll be able to withdraw," said Phelps. "I guess we put a lot of money in the bank over the last four years, and we withdrew pretty much every penny. So after Bob and I both take a little break, it will be time to start re-depositing."
Another Swimming SuccessAt 41, Dara Torres is the oldest swimmer ever to compete in the Olympics. In her fifth trip to the Games, Torres was competing against swimmers half her age. She showed no signs of slowing, becoming the second-fastest woman in the world in the 50-meter freestyle. Torres missed out on the gold by a mere 1/100th of a second.
The U.S. swimmer will return home on Tuesday, with three silver medals to share with her 2-year-old daughter, Tessa. With the Olympics behind her, Torres has things to do. "I'm taking my daughter to school on Thursday, so I've got a list of school supplies I have to get," said the busy mom after her Olympic feat.
 GABRIEL BOUYS—AFP/GETTY IMAGES Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt dashes into the record books in the 100-meter race. | |
The 91,000 fans packed into Beijing's track and field stadium on Saturday night saw the greatest sprint in human history. Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, smashed the world record by running the 100-meter dash in 9.69 seconds. He could have done it in less time, but he slowed before the finish, spreading out his arms and slapping his chest. "I wasn't celebrating," he says. "I was just happy." U.S. sprinter Walter Dix celebrated his bronze medal in style, wrapping himself in the American flag and running around the track.
Bolt will hit the track again on August 20 and 22. Will he end up with three golds? The world's fastest man considers the 200 meters, which he runs on the 20th, his best race.
