Thanks to the efforts of Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, and Natalie Coughlin, the US Swim Team dominated the Water Cube last night/this morning/sometime in the last 14 hours. All three won gold in their particular event — Phelps in the 200 free, Peirsol and Coughlin in the 100 backstroke — with Peirsol and Phelps breaking world records in the process.

The medal parade didn’t stop with these three as Jason Lezak, Rebecca Soni, Margaret Hoelzer and Peter Vanderkaay each won silver and bronze respectively.

Coming off the stirring 4×100 relay victory, there were thoughts Phelps might be dealing with an emotional letdown. However, once the race began and Phelps arose out of the water ahead of the pack, it was clear there was no post-victory hangover to worry about. He finished the race smashing his own world record by almost a full second — a lifetime in speed-based racing.

As for Coughlin, she defended her 2004 gold medal by holding off Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe after Coventry broke Coughlin’s world record in the semi-finals. Coughlin’s repeat gold was the first time anyone has defended the 100-meter backstroke in the Olympics. The same goes for Peirsol, who also won the 100 backstroke in Athens.

Next up for the 3-for-3 Phelps is the 200-meter butterfly; a race he just happened to set another world record in during the qualifying heat. It’s looking like he’ll be 4-for-4 before the day is out in the United States.

Tags: Aaron Peirsol, Beijing, Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Summer Olympics, US Swimming

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