Phelps sets Olympic record in qualifying

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Michael Phelps, after being part of a relay victory early in the day, returned to the Olympic pool Monday and qualified for the 200-meter butterfly semifinals.

Phelps swam an Olympic record time of 1:53.7 in a heat that came eight hours after he won his second gold medal of the Games.

He will swim in the 200-meter freestyle final Tuesday and a victory in that one will tie him for the most wins in the history of the Olympics with nine.

In another qualifying heat Monday, Italian Federica Pellegrini broke the world 200-meter freestyle record in reaching the semifinals.

That swim came just hours after she suffered a huge disappointment in the 400-meter freestyle. Pellegrini, the world record holder at that distance, was heavily favored for a gold medal only to finish fifth in the final.