Individual Events

At age 14, City's Donte Coleman hasn't yet developed the chiseled physique of most champion swimmers. In the water, however, the sophomore is about as imposing as they come.VTC Coleman won a pair of individual events -- taking 24 seconds off the previous meet record in the 500 freestyle -- in leading City to the boys team championship at the Baltimore City Swim Championships at Morgan State University last night. The Knights won the meet with 356 points, followed by Poly (339) and Lake Clifton (280)

MARK SPITZ'S historic feat of winning seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics has helped many people in the run-up to the Athens Games. Swimming has received far more attention than normal with Michael Phelps aspiring to match Spitz's record. Phelps' endorsement partner, Speedo, has also received a lot of attention for offering Phelps $1 million if he equals Spitz. But Phelps himself has benefited the most. That became clear as Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach, spoke at the end of the U.S. Olympic trials earlier this week.

It's a strong possibility that the Olympic program for Michael Phelps will differ from the one he tackles at the U.S. trials. Aside from the construction quagmire facing Athens, the biggest guessing game regarding the 2004 Olympics centers on the 18-year-old from Rodgers Forge. Phelps is favored to win three individual events at the Olympics, and he would be a factor in three others. Not even the most versatile swimmer in history would tackle six individual events at the Olympics, but Phelps could do just that at the U.S. trials.

BARCELONA, Spain - When the Olympics were held here in 1992, swimming was shunted to an outdoor venue and basketball was one of the events held at the Palau Sant Jordi. That was the Olympics of the original Dream Team, as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird expanded the profile of the NBA. Its successors have been weaker imitators, but at least the arena has been graced by a new Dream Team. Its roster lists one name. Michael Phelps completed a remarkable world championship swim meet last night that served as his international coming-out party and a warning that he is ready to win four of the 13 individual events on the Olympic men's program in 2004.

The final relays provided exciting finishes in two of Thursday's three county swimming meets, and John Carroll and North Harford came away winners.John Carroll, tied with Aberdeen, and 15 points ahead of once-beaten Fallston going to the last relay at Magnolia Middle School, pulled out the victory when its girls teams placed first and third in the 400-yard freestyle relay, and its only boys team got fifth.At the end, it was John Carroll 205, Aberdeen 203, and Fallston 198, the last closing the gap with a second in the girls relay and a 1-2 finish in the boys relay.

After the 1988 Olympics, there weren't too many U.S. swimmers who left Seoul, South Korea, with a good feeling. Only two -- Janet Evans and Matt Biondi -- won gold medals in individual events. In all, the United States won eight gold medals and 18 overall, its lowest total since 1960.But the 1992 U.S. swimming team appears set to return to a position as not just a swimming power but a superpower."I think we'll have a lot more medals than in '88," said Summer Sanders, a 19-year-old Stanford University sophomore who made the team in four individual events, more than any other swimmer.

Apollo was the Greek god of music and poetry. Apolo Anton Ohno brings those same elements to the sport of short-track speed skating. The 19-year-old sensation from Seattle dominated the Olympic trials at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns. Ohno was almost perfect, even in the qualifying heats, to win a spot skating at the Olympics in the 500-, 1,000- and 1,500-meter events and the 5,000 relay. The only blemish came in the 1,000 final, when Ohno said he briefly lost his footing, which allowed his close friend, Shani Davis, to win the final spot on the team.

BEIJING - Maybe all this simply was too much for Katie Hoff. Talk of gold medals and a sack full of medals. Five individual events - none shorter than 200 meters - and a relay. Two finals, the 200-meter freestyle and 200 individual medley, within 58 minutes of each other this morning. No matter what she has done, it somehow hasn't been quite enough. Hoff swam slower than her personal best times in the first two events, the 400 IM and 400 freestyle, but won bronze and silver medals. Today, she broke her own U.S. record in the 200 free - and was fourth, as Italy's Federica Pellegrini won with a world-record time.

BARCELONA, Spain - The record book remains open, but the case is closed. Michael Phelps is only halfway through his four individual events at the 10th FINA World Championships, and he has already resolved the issue of who is the best swimmer on the planet. He didn't just vanquish Australian Ian Thorpe last night at the Palau Sant Jordi; he accomplished a feat no man had mastered in the history of the sport, setting world records in different individual events on the same day. Within 48 minutes, Phelps destroyed a minutes-old standard in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly, then battered his own world record en route to gold in the 200 individual medley.

The state's best track and field athletes will converge on Westminster High starting tomorrow afternoon.With the Western Maryland College stadium unavailable because of graduation, the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association decided to keep the state track and field championships in the neighborhood.Westminster High coach Bill Hill offered, and the MPSSAA accepted.But a little of the luster will be tarnished for the Owls, who have lost two of their top runners for violations of school policy.