By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Photo by Jonathan Newton — The Washington Post
Saturday, August 16, 2008; Page E01
BEIJING, Aug. 16 — There was no way, given how much ground Michael Phelps had to make up and how the pool was slipping away from him. He was involved in a 100-meter swimming race, this one in the butterfly stroke. Of eight swimmers at the midway point, he was seventh. The dream was about to die.
But over a beautiful, stunning final 25 meters, Phelps — the 23-year-old from Baltimore County who simply can’t lose — tracked down Serbia’s Milorad Cavic. History lived, Mark Spitz had company, by the slimmest of margins. Phelps touched in 50.58 seconds, winning his sevnth gold medal of these Beijing Olympics. The margin of victory over Cavic? One one hundredth of a second. Read More.