Pieter van den Hoogenbad is only the third person in history to double in the 100 and 200 in the same Olympic Games. AP

That's the appeal of the 100 freestyle in swimming as well. I'll never be Ian Thorpe -- and the odds of seeing me in a Speedo are about the same as Kazakhstan hosting the Olympic Games -- but I can relate to the primal nature of the race.

The 50 free is pure speed metal, as harsh and unforgiving as a Metallica rift. The 100 offers the same fury, just extended another hellacious 50 meters.

Last night's 100 final provided an adrenaline needle to the heart (think Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction), thanks to a man carved of marble nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman." Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands became only the fourth person in history to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100, and he did so in thrilling style, chasing down South African Roland Mark Schoeman in the final 50 meters with the same single-mindedness the shark from Jaws went after Robert Shaw.

After slowly reeling in the South African, van den Hoogenband soared past him in the final five meters to win by a couple of 10ths (48.17 to 48.23) and defend his Olympic title. The Dutch Army, those orange-clad, perpetually peppy folks from Holland, erupted in an Orange Crush of joy.

Van den Hoogenband, who listens to Pearl Jam prior to races, could not have been any happier. Not only did he track down Schoeman but he also downed his biggest rival, Thorpe, who finished third. It was a thrilling race, and it makes you wonder why somebody has yet to figure out how to make swimming a must-see event in non-Olympic years. ...

The Olympic blog is planning to attend the water polo match Thursday between the U.S. and Olympic champion Hungary. Seems promising. The blog doesn't know much about water polo, but rumor has it that blogging legend Josh Elliott played in college. ... Woke up this morning to a scrum of screaming journalists because five of the 15 television channels offered in the hotel were camped out live at the Hilton Hotel to speak with Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou following the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary committee meeting. The saga reached its denouement yesterday as the runners surrendered their accreditation cards and withdrew from the Games after meeting with the IOC's Disciplinary Commission. For a sublime analysis of this big, fat Greek farce, see S.L. Price's column.

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