China's Ye Shiwen shatters world record to win swimming gold (updated)
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E-mail Xinhua, July 29, 2012
LONDON, July 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Ye Shiwen shattered world record to win a gold medal in the women's 400 individual medley at London Olympics on Saturday.
Ye touched in 4:28.43 to wipe out the previous record held by triple Olympic champion Aussie Stephanie Rice from Beijing Olympics by one second.
Ye was nearly three seconds ahead of silver medalist Elizabeth Beisel from the United States who clocked 4:31.27. Another Chinese swimmer Li Xuanxu pocketed a bronze at 4:32.91.
Ye trailed Rice in the first butterfly leg, and overtook her after the second backstroke leg. Then she was behind Beisel who had a super-fast breaststroke leg but finally managed a devastating burst over the last freestyle leg to power home with a gold and a new world mark.
Rice, three-time gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, was shut out of medals with a sixth place.
"I thought I had lost the race after the first 200 meters, but on the breastroke I realized I was in the top two or three and was confident I could win on the last leg," said Ye after the race.
"I have worked on my butterfly and backstroke since the World Championship, while freestyle is my best leg. Saying that, I never expected to break the world record. I dreamed of gold, but never the record. I am overwhelmed," said Ye in tears.
Ye, world champion of 200m individual medley at Shanghai Worlds, fell on top of the world after her golden night at the London Aquatic Center. It is the first world record set in the swimming events at London Olympics.
She joined teammate Sun Yang in the pool to pocket two gold medals for China on the opening day of swimming events. In men's 400m freestyle, Sun upset defending champion South Korean Park Tae Hwan to mount to Olympic top podium, making himself the first Chinese male swimmer to win a historic Olympic gold. Enditem
