Another wonderful night in Sydney's golden pool. We didn't see a coronation, but we saw some wonderful races. Ian Thorpe, monarch of swimming, will have to mix with the hoi polloi a little longer. In sensational circumstances, he was denied by the stringy Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenbrand.
The 200 metres freestyle final was a sensational race. Van den Hoogenbrand took an early lead but got caught with 50 metres to go. A great and insane thunder of happiness rolled around the aquatic centre. Thorpe's languid stroke appeared to be doing the trick. But the Dutchman had more. He finished, equalling the world record he set in the semi-finals. Thorpe swam well, but tiredness got the better of him. He finished with a time of 1.45.83 - slower than the 1.45.51 world record that van den Hoogenband stole from him on Sunday.
The remarkable Italian Massimiliano Rosolino continues to follow Thorpe like a shadow. Silver medallist behind the Australian in the 400 freestyle, he claimed the bronze in 1.46.65.
There was a good story in the 100 backstroke also. American Lenny Krayzelburg, who spent the first 14 years of his life living in the Ukraine, couldn't contribute a world record (he owns all three backstroke world records) to the growing pile this championship has thrown up, but he got what he came for - a gold medal. Krayzelburg was always a good bet to win this event. At least Speedo thought so. Two years ago they gave him a six-figure endorsement deal, the largest ever awarded to a non-Olympian. One of the provisions of his deal was that the company would fly his family to see him compete in Sydney. Krayzelburg had been in this pool before. Indeed, at the Pan Pacific Championships in August 1999, he set a world record in the 100 backstroke.
"This is better than anything I've ever done," he said afterwards. "In this sport you're judged by Olympic medals. Now I've got one. I was nervous before the race. As the world champion and world record holder, the amount of pressure going in was huge. The crowd out there was just amazing. I'm going to take my first holiday in a couple of years," he said. "It's a big monkey off my back. I'm feeling very relieved now."
As a child in the Ukraine, Krayzelburg was made practice for five hours a day, plus he had to do weights and running. He started this regime when he was nine. His parents, both Jewish and feeling the bite of Soviet anti-semitism, moved to America in 1989. None of the family spoke English and it took almost a year before Krayzselburg's father could find work. Krayzelburg's win in an Olympic record time of 53.72 put him just ahead of Australia's Matt Welsh.
Welsh, competing in his first Games, took the silver in 54.07. Stev Theloke of Germany was third in 54.82.
Another sign of the brave new order in world swimming was the eclipse of Penny Heyns in the 100 breaststroke. At the US National Championships in Indianapolis earlier this year, Megan Quann was reported to have expressed surprise at the antiquity of Heyns, now 26 but winner of both breaststroke titles in Atlanta.
When Quann, 16 and no stranger to fear, came up against Heyns yesterday something had to give. It wasn't going to be Heyns, who swam well but couldn't hang on to the 100 title.
Coming straight from the kiddie pool, 16-year-old Quann and 15-year-old Liesel Jones of Australia pushed South Africa's world record-holder to bronze. Heyns will be feeling down this morning. Twenty-six and her life over. Quann won in 1.07.05, while Jones took the silver in 1.07.49, ahead of Heyns's 1.07.55. Quann spoke afterwards about how she had spent the night before the race focusing on what would happen, just lying on her side visualising the race, stroke by stroke.
In her home town of Pullayup in Washington, her local swim club ran a 100 breaststroke race at exactly the same time as the Sydney final, leaving lane four (Quann's) vacant.
There was a quiet undemonstrative gold medal win for Romania's world champion, Diana Mocanu, in the women's 100 backstroke. Mocanu set an Olympic record 1.00.21. Japan's Mai Nakamura was second in 1.00.55, and Spain's Nina Zhivanevskaya was third in 1.00.89. Mocanu hardly moved a muscle in celebrating her feat, the most stoic medal winner of the week.
As for the Irish, not many muscles moving there either. The bad news just keeps on coming. Chantal Gibney was out again yesterday, competing this time in the heats of the 200 freestyle. She failed to make the semi-final, turning in a time of 2.05.24, which was some way off her personal best for the event. She finished 28th out of 39 competitors.
For Colin Lowth in the 200 butterfly heats, the news was worse. He finished 37th out of 46 swimmers, finishing in a time of 2.03.91 which was also some way outside his PB of 2.01.96.
