Relay dominates

Michael Phelps watched as his teammates set a world swimming record in the 400 medley.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Michael Phelps won another gold medal, this time wearing khaki shorts and flip-flops.
From a front-row seat at the Olympic pool, Phelps watched his teammates do all the work in the 400-meter medley relay Saturday night. When they won with a world-record time, Phelps got a gold, too -- his record-tying eighth medal of the Athens Games.
"It felt like I was part of that race," said Phelps, who earned his gold by swimming the event in the preliminaries.
Phelps led the U.S. contingent in cheers, pounded the side of an "Athens 2004" sign, waved an American flag and screamed "Go Jason!" as Jason Lezak completed the rout, easily retaining the lead built up by Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Ian Crocker.
Medal leader
Jenny Thompson had to swim for her spot in the Olympic record book, but it was another forgettable performance.
Looking her age, the 31-year-old Thompson lost the lead in the women's medley relay but still got a silver -- the 12th medal of her career, more than any other U.S. Olympian.
Phelps earned a spot in the medley final by winning the 100 butterfly Friday night. But he ceded his place to Crocker, wanting to give the silver medalist a chance to make up for a poor showing in the 400 free relay.
The United States has never lost a men's medley relay at the Olympics, and it didn't really matter who swam the fly -- Phelps or Crocker. The Americans dominated the race, setting a world record of 3 minutes, 30.68 seconds, nearly three seconds ahead of runner-up Germany. Japan won the bronze, its first medal in the event since 1960.
Thompson's medal made her the most decorated U.S. Olympian, breaking a tie with swimmer Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi and shooter Carl Osburn. But the record seemed rather empty for the four-time Olympian.
Losing ground
Thompson couldn't hold on in the fly when given a lead by Natalie Coughlin (backstroke) and Amanda Beard (breaststroke), who covered the first 200 under world-record pace.
Petria Thomas was more than two seconds faster than Thompson, giving Australia a half-second lead, and Kara Lynn Joyce had no chance of catching world-record holder Jodie Henry in the freestyle.
"This is my last Olympics, so tonight was a little bittersweet," Thompson said. "The whole week has been a little nostalgic, so I've been trying to soak up as much as possible. I had hoped to do a little better here, but I'm pretty proud just to be here at all."
The Aussies, who also used Giaan Rooney and Leisel Jones, took the gold with a world record of 3:57.32, breaking the mark of 3:58.30 set by the United States at the 2000 Sydney Games. The Americans settled for silver in 3:59.12, with Germany taking the bronze.
Coughlin won her fifth medal of the games, tying the record shared by Shirley Babashoff and Dara Torres for the most swimming medals by an American woman at a single Olympics.
Other races
In the last night of swimming, Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands defended her title in the 50 freestyle with her first gold of the Athens Games.
De Bruijn's time of 24.58 seconds was 26-hundredths of a second slower than her winning time in Sydney. Malia Metella of France earned silver in 24.89 and Lisbeth Lenton of Australia took bronze in 24.91.
Another Olympic title also was successfully defended: Grant Hackett won his second straight 1,500 freestyle, continuing Australia's domination of the longest race in swimming.
Hackett won gold in 14:43.40 -- nearly five seconds faster than his winning time at the 2000 Games. He became the fifth man in Olympic history to win two titles in the 1,500. Fellow Aussie Kieren Perkins won in 1992 and '96.
Hackett got a strong challenge from American Larsen Jensen, who earned the silver in 14:45.29 -- lowering his own American record by more than 111/2 seconds. David Davies of Britain claimed bronze in 14:45.95.