LONDON — Payback. This time, it was France chasing down the United States - and Ryan Lochte, no less - to win another riveting relay at the Olympics.
With Michael Phelps looking much stronger than he did the night before, the Americans built a commanding lead over the first three legs of the 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday and never really had to worry about the defending world champions from Australia.
When Lochte dove into the water on the anchor leg, he was a half-body length ahead of the field and looking to add another gold to his dominating victory Saturday in the 400 individual medley.
Not so fast.
Or not nearly fast enough.
Yannick Agnel, playing the chaser role that Jason Lezak did for the Americans four years ago in this same event, sliced through the water and was right on Lochte’s shoulder as they made the flip at the far end of the pool. With about 25 meters to go, they were stroke for stroke. But Lochte, who had already competed in 1,200 meters of racing over the first two days, simply didn’t have enough left to hold off the towering, 20-year-old Frenchman, one of the sport’s rising stars.
“I gave everything in the last 50 until he cracked,” Agnel said. “In the last 10 meters, I saw that he was really cracking.”
Agnel touched in 3 minutes, 9.93 seconds, having gone exactly one second faster than Lochte over the last 100 meters. Lochte and the Americans dropped to silver in 3:10.38, while Australia - the favorite - didn’t even get a medal. Russia took the bronze in 3:11.41, edging the team from Down Under by 0.22.
Phelps settled for his 17th career medal - and first silver - to move a step closer to becoming the most decorated Olympian ever.
Two more world records fell earlier in the evening.
American Dana Vollmer took down the mark in the 100 butterfly, then Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa broke another in the 100 breaststroke - denying Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima an Olympic three-peat.
Camille Muffat of France won a riveting 400 freestyle duel with American Allison Schmitt, the two were virtually stroke for stroke the entire way. Muffat held on to win by about half a stroke with an Olympic-record time, while Schmitt settled for silver - a sign of things to come.
Britain’s Rebecca Adlington brought out the biggest cheer when she touched third, the home country’s first swimming medal of the games.
Vollmer was third at the turn but powered to the wall for a time of 55.98, beating the record of 56.06 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom at the 2009 world championships.
Van der Burgh made sure of that, dominating the race almost as soon as his head popped out of the water for the first time. He was comfortably ahead at the turn and blew away the field on the return lap to touch in 58.46, knocking off another of the marks set at the 2009 world championships.
Australia’s Christian Sprenger took the silver in 58.93, and American Brendan Hansen claimed bronze in 59.49.
Lu Ying gave China another medal, taking silver behind Vollmer in 56.87. Australia’s Alicia Coutts grabbed the bronze in 56.94. It was a tough night for Sjostrom, who not only lost her world record but didn’t even get a medal, touching fourth in 57.17.
GYMNASTICS
Wieber eliminated
The U.S. women had the top score in qualifying, but the big story was world champion Jordyn Wieber.
Wieber, a heavy favorite, is out of the all-around competition after finishing behind teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Countries are limited to two gymnasts in the all-around and event finals.
Wieber, 17, was sobbing as she made her way past reporters, so distraught she couldn’t speak to them. A quote attributed to her and distributed by the London Games’ internal news agency said: “It is a bit of a disappointment. It has always been a dream of mine to compete in the all-around final of the Olympics.”
Russia, runner-up to the Americans at last year’s world championships, was 1.4 points back with a score of 180.429. Beijing Olympics champion China was third (176.637), followed by European champion Romania (176.264) and Britain (170.656).
TENNIS
Sharapova advances
Maria Sharapova won her Olympic debut indoors, beating Shahar Peer of Israel 6-2, 6-0, and Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer were among the seeded winners on the men’s side at Wimbledon.
Playing under Wimbledon’s retractable roof on Centre Court because of rain, No. 3 Sharapova swept the final eight games.
Play was curtailed because of rain, with 32 matches postponed before they started and four suspended in progress. Only 12 matches were completed.
VOLLEYBALL
U.S. sweeps Serbia
So far, so good for the defending champion U.S. men’s team, which opened Olympic play by sweeping Serbia behind Matt Anderson’s 18 points.
Captain Clay Stanley added 13 points in the 25-17, 25-22, 25-21 victory at Earls Court.
Also, Bulgaria swept Britain, 25-18, 25-20, 26-24, and Russia defeated Germany 31-29, 25-18, 25-17. Australia, coached by Jon Uriarte, lost to Argentina 25-21, 25-22, 25-20. Son Nicolas Uriarte is a setter on the Argentine team.
In the late matches, Poland defeated Italy 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-14, and Brazil swept Tunisia 25-17, 25-21, 25-18.
WATER POLO
Varellas shines
Peter Varellas had three goals to lead the United States to an 8-7 victory over Montenegro.
U.S. captain Tony Azevedo scored with less than a minute to play, but Vladimir Gojkovic answered 10 seconds later to pull back within a goal.
The win puts the U.S., which has 10 players from the squad that took silver four years ago in Beijing, in a three way tie for the Group B lead.
DIVING
China takes gold
Wu Minxia and partner He Zi won the first diving gold medal of the Olympics, moving China one step closer to a sweep of the eight events in London.
They led throughout the five-dive round and totaled 346.20 points in the 3-meter synchronized event.
Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant finished second with 321.90 points, ending America’s diving medal drought that extended to the 2000 Sydney Games. It was the first Olympic synchro medal for the U.S.
China won seven of eight golds as the host country four years ago in Beijing and swept the golds at last year’s world championships in Shanghai.
Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel earned the bronze with 316.80 for Canada’s first medal of the games.
CYCLING
Vos wins
Marianne Vos of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the women’s road race in a rain-drenched sprint, leaving Britain’s Elizabeth Armitstead with silver and the host country’s first medal of the London Olympics.
Vos, the former world champion, made a daring move past Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya to emerge from the three-rider breakaway. Zabelinskaya won bronze after a frantic finish through a driving rain that was reminiscent of four years ago in Beijing.
Sports, Pages 13 on 07/30/2012