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Double Dutch Van den Hoogenband captures second gold in 100 freeLatest: Wednesday October 11, 2000 12:18 PM
AUSTRALIA, Sydney (CNNSI.com) -- The Flying Dutchman soared, again. Pieter van den Hoogenband added a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle to the gold he won in the 200-meter freestyle. The sleek, smooth swimmer set an Olympic record in the race, in which he defeated a power-packed field. Van den Hoogenband, who posted a time of 48.30, finished ahead of two-time defending Olympic champion Alexander Popov, who finished second, and United States swimmer Gary Hall, Jr., who won a bronze medal. The Flying Dutchman became the first man to sweep the 100 and 200 freestyles since American Mark Spitz in 1972. Popov, who had a 48.69 time, failed to become the first swimmer in history to win the same race in three consecutive Olympics. Australian Michael Klim was leading the race after 50-meters, but faded to fourth by the time they hit the finish. "It wasn't my best race," said Popov, who trains in Australia. "I try to compete with a smile on my face. I almost did it."Hall, who said that U.S. coaches told him to swim easily in the 100-freestyle in order to save energy for the 50-meter freestyle, finished third in 48.73
After defeating the U.S. team in the 4 x 100 relay earlier in the Games, Klim led the Australian team in a rendition of air guitar, poking fun at Hall, who said that the U.S. swimmers would "smash the Australians like guitars" in a diary installment on CNNSI.com.
"I wanted to get out there and race, but I didn't know if I'd be in the medal count," said Hall, who said he was focusing on the 50 freestyle. "To make it up there pumps me up a little bit." A huge smile stretching across his face, Hall clenched both fists above his head when he climbed to the medal stand. The bronze comes after a difficult two years for Hall, who sat out a three-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana use, and then was diagnosed with diabetes and thought that his swimming career was over. Hall's best race, the 50-meter freestyle, has its final is on Thursday. That will be followed by the 4x100 medley relay on Saturday. That race will give the U.S. swimmers, who have lost two relays to the Australians so far a chance to exact some revenge.
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