Phelps Sets 200m Freestyle Record

Phelps’s time of 1 minute 43.86 seconds took two tenths of a second off the record Thorpe, the Australian freestyler who retired last year, set in the 2001 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where he won a record six gold medals.

That record may be in danger, too, considering that the 200 freestyle has traditionally not been Phelps’s strongest event and that he should have at least six more chances to win gold medals here.

“That definitely was how I wanted to swim it,” said Phelps, who was on the gold-medal-winning American relay team in the 4 by 100 freestyle event. “Definitely the ball’s rolling. I’m two for two.”

The Americans were four for five today, with victories from Natalie Coughlin in the women’s 100 backstroke, Aaron Peirsol in the men’s 100 backstroke and 19-year-old Kate Ziegler in the women’s 1,500 freestyle.