Adrian denies Magnussen as records fall

I / London August 02, 2012, 10:27 IST

American Nathan Adrian edged James Magnussen by a fingertip to win the coveted Olympic 100m freestyle swimming gold, just one of the thrillers on a night that saw two world records fall.

Adrian clocked 47.52sec, beating the Australian sprint powerhouse by one one-hundredth of a second and becoming the first American since Matt Biondi in 1988 to win Olympic swimming's blue riband event yesterday.

"I have big hands, I guess," Adrian quipped of the margin of victory over Magnussen, who was fifth at the turn -- two spots behind Adrian -- but poured it on in the final 50m to make a race of it.

"The second 50 was nerve-wracking," Adrian admitted of the chase to overtake pace-setting world record-holder Cesar Cielo of Brazil.

"The 100m has changed so much in the last 10 years, people are going out so fast now," Adrian said. "I am known to go out fast and then suffer, but I managed to finish strong this time.

"I first looked up and saw I had won, then it sank in and hit me like a ton of bricks, so many emotions," said Adrian, a heavy underdog going in based on personal-best times. "It was incredible," Adrian said.

Magnussen took silver in 47.53 and Canada's Brent Hayden -- second behind Magnussen at last year's world championships -- earned bronze in 47.80.

It was another crushing defeat for the Aussie, the overwhelming favorite who had already flopped in Australia's fourth-place 4x100m free relay swim.