6th gold for Phelps

Swimming phenomenon sets 6th world record in as many events

Beijing 2008

BEIJING - Michael Phelps touched the wall today, looked up at the scoreboard to find his time, then closed his eyes. He winced in pain, needing a moment to collect himself.

This one hurt.

It also felt pretty darn good.

Phelps won his sixth gold medal of the 2008 Olympics, and set his sixth world record in as many events, cruising home in 1 minute, 54.23 seconds to win the 200-meter individual medley.

He is now just one gold medal away from matching Mark Spitz's record of seven, set at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, and has two events remaining: the 100-meter butterfly and the 400-meter individual medley.

Phelps, who also won six gold medals in Athens, was more than two seconds faster than Hungary's Laszlo Cseh, who won silver for the second time behind Phelps, finishing in 1:56.52.

Phelps barely had time to appreciate it, though. On the medal stand, he smiled and waved for the cameras, then took a lengthy stroll around the pool with Cseh and U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte, who finished third, to pose for pictures. Immediately after it was over, Phelps zipped into the locker room, ripped off his sweats, threw on his parka, pulled on his swim cap, goggles and ear buds, then walked back onto the deck for the semifinals of the 100 fly.

"I had no time," said Phelps, who secured himself a spot in the 100 fly final with a time of 50.97. "The [gold] medal was in my warm-up jacket."

As brilliant as Phelps' two races were, he had to tip his swim cap to the incredible performance by his friend Lochte, who barely missed silver with a time of 1:56.53.

Approximately 27 minutes before the 200-meter individual medley, Lochte swam one of the most difficult races in the Olympic program - the 200-meter backstroke - and did it faster than any man in history.

Lochte lowered his own world record with a time of 1 minute, 53.94 seconds and did it by dethroning American Aaron Piersol, the defending Olympic gold medalist.

Lochte managed to pull it off even though his Speedo LZR Racer malfunctioned after 50 meters.

"For Ryan to come back 20 minutes later and almost have us finish 1-2, it's a pretty incredible swim," Phelps said. "It's an incredible day for him. I'm glad to see him get his first gold. It's a cool moment, and I know he's happy."

Lochte was as good a candidate as anyone to derail Phelps' historic run if someone was going to do it. A mellow 23-year-old from Daytona Beach, Fla., Lochte may be the antithesis of Phelps outside the pool.