Swimming Roundup

Thorpe, Thompson capture swimming gold

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Jenny Thompson's singing voice is as good as her swimming stroke.

She came from behind swimming anchor to bring the United States gold Sunday in the women's 400-meter freestyle relay at the World Championships.

That was expected from the 30-year-old American, who now has 10 medals in the world championships to tie her for the most by a woman -- a nice sidedish to go with eight Olympic gold medals.

The unexpected came when Thompson and her three teammates stood atop the podium to receive their medals and hear the U.S. anthem played.

The only sound was silence as they fidgeted for several minutes, smiled to friends in the stands, and looked slightly embarrassed.

They said they heard only a faint clicking sound -- like a CD skipping, but no anthem.

So as the American flag was finally raised, the four chimed a cappella.

Some were quick to suggest an anti-American conspiracy. But organizers assured it wasn't, apologized and even offered to redo the ceremony on Monday. The same thing happened two years ago at the worlds in Fukuoka, Japan, when the Spanish anthem failed to be played after a gold in water polo.

"I've always wanted to be a rock star, so starting out with the anthem is a good way," Thompson joked.

"I have to believe it was an honest mistake and they formally apologized to us. It's not a big deal. We have no hard feeling."

Natalie Coughlin, who joined with Lindsay Benko and Rhiannon Jeffery on the team, said teammates in the stands got them going.

"We were wondering what was going on," Coughlin said.

Who has the best voice?

"I already told them I did," Coughlin added.

Thompson didn't buy that.

"It's a controversy. We'll have to make a demo."

The Americans' winning time was 3 minutes 38.09 seconds. Germany won the silver (3:38.73) with bronze for Australia (3:38.83).

Thompson also swam the top time in the 100 butterfly semifinals (57.99) with the finals on Monday. Coughlin was sixth in 58.97.

Thompson has completed two years at Columbia University medical school and has cut her training back. Eighteen months ago she was barely swimming at all, working out in a tiny 15-yard pool at the university.

Less seems to be better for a woman many consider the greatest relay swimmer in history.

In her anchor, she was third with about 25 meters to go and them seemed to explode.

"There is some power that comes over me when I'm doing relays," she said. "I don't know what it is but I get very excited. I can't let my team down. There is not option but to win. I came off the 50 turn and I felt this adrenalin rush."

Coughlin, 20, is billed as the best American woman in a generation and is expected to swim seven events by the time the worlds end on Sunday. She already holds the world record in the 100 backstroke (59.58).

Three other medal events in the pool highlighted the first of eight days of swimming.

Ian Thorpe remained unbeatable in the 400-meter freestyle, finishing in 3:42.58 with silver for countryman Grant Hackett (3:45.17) and bronze for Dragos Coman of Romania (3:46.87). He hasn't lost in that race in six years.

Thorpe, 20, was ill four months ago with a virus and has changed coaches. Some have suggested the three-time Olympic champion peaked a year ago when he set his 400 world record of 3:40.08. "I don't feel like I've reached my absolute peak in that event or any event," said Thorpe.

Thorpe's victory made him the first swimmer to win three straight world titles in the same event. His ninth gold medal also made him the first man to win that many in the worlds.

Hannah Stockbauer of Germany won the women's 400 freestyle in 4:06.75 to beat silver medalist Eva Risztov of Hungary (4:07.24) and bronze medalist Diana Munz of the United States (4:07.67).

The Russians, anchored by four-time Olympic champion Alexander Popov, took gold in the men's 400 freestyle relay (3:14.06) with silver for the United States (3:14.80) and bronze for France (3:15.66).

"It's a nice forgotten feeling," said Popov, 31, who has moved his training base from Australia to Switzerland in hopes rekindling his career. He took silver in 100 free in Sydney but was sixth in his trademark 50.

"I've never been on the top of the podium for the 400 freestyle relay," he added. "I'd never won it. For me it's sort of a double pleasure that today we managed to have dreams come true for younger members of the team."

The diving wrapped up Sunday with two medal events.

Australia won gold in the men's 10-meter synchronized platform and China got it's fourth diving gold when it successfully defended the 3-meter women's springboard synchronized title.

China finished with four gold medals and 12 overall to lead diving.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.