Michael Phelps swam his way into sporting immortality yesterday by winning his eighth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
The 23-year-old American broke the previous record of seven golds, set by Mark Spitz at the Munich Games in 1972, with victory in the 4x100 metres medley relay.
Joining backstroker Aaron Peirsol, breaststroker Brendan Hansen and freestyler Jason Lezak, Phelps helped the United States shave 1.34 seconds off the old mark of three minutes 30.68 seconds with a winning time of three minutes 29.34 seconds.
It was Phelps's seventh world record in Beijing and propelled him to stand alone as the winner of the most gold medals at a single Olympics (eight) and in a career (14).
Australia finished a close second with Japan third in the men's relay while Australia also set a world record to win the women's medley relay on the last day of swimming at the Water Cube, where 25 records have fallen.
Backstroker Emily Seebohm, breaststroker Leisel Jones, butterflyer Jessicah Schipper and freestyler Libby Trickett won the gold in 3:52.69, wiping 3.05 off the previous record Australia set at last year's world championships in Melbourne.
The United States finished second in 3:53.30, also under the old world record, to give backstroker Natalie Coughlin her sixth medal of the Games, including one gold, and 41-year-old Dara Torres her third silver of the Games.
China finished third to collect bronze in 3:56.11.
Australia's Grant Hackett failed in his bid to become the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three successive Olympics when he finished second to Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli in the 1500 freestyle, the longest and most grueling event on the Olympic swimming pool programme.
Hackett challenge
Mellouli, who was stripped of his gold medal in the 800 free at last year's worlds after failing a doping test, held off a late challenge from Hackett to win in 14:40.84.
Hackett finished a body length behind in 14:41.53, more than seven seconds outside his world record and nearly three seconds outside the time he posted in Friday's heats, while Canada's Ryan Cochrane took the bronze medal in 14:42.69.
Germany's Britta Steffen completed the women's sprint double when she won the 50-metre dash by 0.01 seconds, the smallest margin in swimming, ahead of Torres.
Steffen, who also won the 100 gold, clocked 24.06 seconds with Torres touching in 24.07 and 16-year-old Australian Cate Campbell third in 24.17.