USA Swimmers Garner More Gold

Michael Phelps won his 6th gold medal of the Olympic Games in Beijing. This one was in the 200m individual medley.

As with his previous 5 golds, Phelps won in world record time, 54.23.

What a remarkable accomplishment!

Phelps' teammate Ryan Lochte took the bronze.

Earlier, Lochte won gold in the 200m backstroke, setting a world record. It was his first career individual gold medal, edging out teammate Aaron Peirsol.

Lochte was known as "Mr. Runner-up" for his frequent second-place finishes to Phelps and Peirsol. Then he stunned Peirsol at last year's world championships in 1:54.32, before Peirsol matched the time in beating Lochte at the U.S. Olympic trials last month.

Lochte got Peirsol back despite a problem with his LZR Racer.

"My suit came undone after the first 50," Lochte said. "I was just trying to control my legs."

What's this? The LZR Racer malfunctioned? The world record-maker suit posed a problem for Lochte?

Interesting.

Lochte still managed to win in spite of the suit. That's worth noting.

The American women had some bright moments at the Water Cube, too.

Rebecca Soni gave the U.S. women's swim team a much-needed boost, setting a world record in the 200 breaststroke with an upset of Australia's Leisel Jones.

...American Natalie Coughlin claimed the bronze for her fifth medal of these games, matching her total from Athens with the medley relay still to go.

"I'm very proud of how I've handled the heavier workload," she said.

Soni's upset win and world record is quite an achievement.

Five medals for Coughlin -- That's terrific!

Unfortunately, Wisconsin's own Garrett Weber-Gale didn't advance to the final in the 50m freestyle.

Garrett Weber-Gale’s Olympic experience started off with an unbelievable high, when he helped the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team defeat the favored French squad for a gold medal.

But the 23-year-old from Fox Point and the University of Texas did not qualify in a second consecutive individual event final this morning, as he failed to get out of his semifinal heat in the 50-meter freestyle.

Weber-Gale, who set an American record in the event in the Olympic trials, finished sixth in his heat in 22.08 seconds. Earlier this week, he did not qualify for the 100 freestyle final.

Weber-Gale's Olympics aren't over yet. He still has the 4x100m medley relay coming up.

Getting back to Phelps, he has been absolutely amazing. I'm in awe of his ability, his stamina, and his mental toughness.

[H]e showed little signs of tiring from the grueling schedule. He's already raced 15 times and has two more left — both going for gold.

"I actually don't feel too bad now," Phelps said.

That can't be encouraging for those swimmers who've come up with all sorts of amusing theories for Phelps' dominance. He's from outer space. He's come back from the future in a time machine. He's some sort of human rocket.

The official Xinhua News Agency dubbed Phelps "the American superfish."

Phelps has been so amazing that skeptics think he must be cheating.

For those who believe Phelps might be using more illicit methods to produce these times, he shot down any speculation about doping.

"Anybody can say whatever they want, but I know I'm clean," said Phelps, who took part in a special U.S. anti-doping program that subjected him to additional, more sophisticated testing. "People can question it all they want, but the facts are the facts. I have the results to prove it."

What more can Phelps do?

There will always be doubters.

Greatness can be hard to comprehend.