|
BEIJING, CHINA - Michael Phelps won a record-equalling seventh gold medal at the Beijing Games Saturday with a breathtaking victory in the men's 100m butterfly.
Phelps, seventh at the turn, snatched the victory by one-hundredth of a second over Serbia's Milorad Cavic.
Phelps won in 50.58, his first gold of the Games that wasn't a world record.
But it was a stunning win over Cavic, who finished in 50.59 while Australian Andrew Lauterstein was third in 51.12.
With his seventh gold medal, Phelps matched the record that US swimmer Mark Spitz established with seven victories at the Munich Olympics in 1972, and will have a chance to break the mark when he swims the 4x100m medley relay on Sunday.
Phelps had already moved ahead of Spitz on one score here.
He surpassed the US swimming icon, along with Games greats Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larysa Latynina, who were tied for the Olympic record of nine career gold medals.
With his seventh Beijing triumph, to go with six gold medals from Athens, Phelps has 13 Olympic gold medals for his career.
| 
