Australia’s Ian Thorpe crept closer, erasing a lead that once had been nearly two body lengths, finally pulling up to the shoulder of American Klete Keller.
Thorpe lurked menacingly as they finished the first 50 meters of their anchor legs in the 800-meter freestyle relay.
“I saw Thorpe catch up and went, `Oh, gosh. C’mon, Klete. Hold on. Hold on,'” said Michael Phelps, who had given the U.S. the lead with a strong opening leg.
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“Training can get dull and boring,” Keller said, “but you always have in the back of your mind a big race, and you always picture it. When it finally comes, you’re like in another world. It’s like an out-of-body experience. It’s so exciting.
“I love racing, seeing what I can do. It’s like you have no mind at all. You’re kind of numb. It’s all a blur until you finish.”
In that blur, Keller churned through 100 meters, 150 and turned to the finish. And still Thorpe lingered.
“I knew it was going to come down to the end with a competitor like [Thorpe],” Phelps said.
But, said U.S. men’s coach Eddie Reese, “you get Klete in the back half of a race, if you’re not up on him, he’s real hard to beat. He will not let you go.”
Keller wouldn’t let Thorpe by him Tuesday night, no matter that the Australian is the best middle-distance freestyler in history. When Keller finally touched, Thorpe was still 0.13 second behind him.
The U.S. had won the gold medal in 7 minutes 7.33 seconds.
It marked the first time the Americans had won the 800 freestyle relay in a major competition since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Phelps, who resembled a high school cheerleader during Keller’s last 150 meters, leaped high and shot his fist into the air. He embraced Keller when he climbed out of the water, and then they joined the team’s other members, Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay, in a long group hug.
Thorpe walked up to them, waited just a moment and then, not wishing to disturb them, turned and walked away. Later he returned to congratulate his vanquishers. “I was swimming a little flat,” he said. “I’m not making excuses. But it was disappointing.”
Said Phelps: “Watching Klete, I was screaming like crazy. But he’s a guy who comes home strong. I knew that. He’s the reason we won the relay. He held off the greatest 200 freestyler in history. As soon as he hit the wall, I went crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated so much in my life.”
Phelps had a lot to celebrate at the Olympic Aquatic Center, where he also won the 200-meter butterfly in an Olympic-record 1:54.04.
The butterfly was his first race of the evening, and he opened spectacularly, blowing through the first 100 meters 0.44 second faster than his own world-record pace. But then he slowed considerably, finally easing home by a comfortable half a second over Takashi Yamamoto of Japan.
“You find yourself in that situation, you go, `Oh, man, I have this relay coming up, I don’t want to totally do it,'” said Bob Bowman, Phelps’ coach and an assistant on the U.S. men’s team of the butterfly. “Then you’re in the third 50 and you’ve backed off too much, and then he swam the last 50 to get his hand on the wall first. His reaction was, `I want to get my hand on the wall first and not kill myself.'”
The 800 relay began an hour later. As Phelps prepared for that, Amanda Beard picked up a silver for the U.S. in the 200 individual medley.
Phelps then appeared at the butterfly medal ceremony, where his eyes filled with tears as the national anthem played. Ten minutes later, he climbed on the blocks for the relay showdown with Australia.
Keller had a two-length lead as he took off to duel Thorpe.
“Thorpe spent too much on the first 50,” said U.S. assistant coach Jon Urbanchek. “He overswam the first 50. I wasn’t worried. We knew he made a mistake going out so fast.”
Thorpe swam his leg in 1:44.18, just 0.12 second slower than his world record in the 200 free.
“Anchoring with Klete, I knew we weren’t going to lose this one,” Urbanchek said. “No way. He loves that situation.”
Added Phelps:
“Being able to win two gold medals, I don’t even know what to say to that. I’m almost speechless. The 200 fly, I wanted to win that, I wanted to break the world record.
“But I think I was more excited for the relay than anything. That was probably the most exciting race I’ve ever been a part of. I’m still in shock.”
– – –
PHELPS TRACKER
SATURDAY
Won 400 individual medley in world-record 4:08.26.
SUNDAY
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Couldn’t fill a big hole as 400 relay finished third.
MONDAY
Placed third in 200 freestyle final behind Ian Thorpe.
TUESDAY
Set Olympic record in winning 200 butterfly in 1:54.04.
TUESDAY
(Total: 3 Golds, 2 Bronze)
Got U.S. team off fast in upset of Australia in 800 freestyle relay.
THURSDAY
Expected to be in 200 individual medley final.
FRIDAY
Expected to be in 100 butterfly final.
SATURDAY
Expected to be in 400 medley relay final.