BEIJING, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Michael Phelps moved relentlessly deeper into Olympic annals Friday, highlighting a tremendous show put on by American swimmers in Beijing.
With more ease than expected, Phelps won his sixth gold medal in Beijing and the 12th gold of his Olympic career -- three more than anyone else has managed in the 112-year history of the Games.
His latest triumph came in the 200-meter individual medley, where challenges had been forecast from Hungarian Laszlo Cseh and American Ryan Lochte. It wasn't close.
Lochte was swimming his second race in a half hour and already had a gold medal to his credit. Cseh simply was not able to keep up. Phelps broke his own world record with a time of 1:54.23, leaving the silver medal to Cseh and the bronze to Lochte.
Phelps has to swim only twice more in these Olympics, in the 100 on Saturday and the 400 medley relay on Sunday. If he wins in both races, he will break the seemingly unbreakable record of seven golds won in a single Olympics by Mark Spitz in 1972.
Phelps was one of three American winners in the four finals contested Friday. Lochte upset fellow-American Aaron Peirsol in the 200 backstroke with Russian Arkady Vyatchanin finishing third.
The biggest surprise came from Rebecca Soni of the United States, who defeated Leisel Jones of Australia in the 200 breaststroke. Jones had won the 100 breaststroke earlier in the Olympics.
Natalie Coughlin won the sixth American medal of the session by getting the bronze behind Germany's Britta Steffen and Australian Lisbeth Trickett in the 100 freestyle.
