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Selasa, 31 Juli 2012

Phelps Poised to Make History on Day 3 of Olympics

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is hoping to win his first gold medal of the 2012 London Olympics Tuesday when he competes in the 200-meter butterfly final.  

A first-place finish will make Phelps, 27, the first man in the history of the Olympics to win a gold medal in the same swimming event in three successive games, having won the medal in 2004 and 2008.  It would also be Phelps's 18th career Olympic medal, putting him even with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina on the all-time list.  He would own the record outright if he and his teammates win a medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay, later in the day.

On the women's side, two teenage sensations will aim for their second gold medal of the 2012 Olympics -- Ye Shiwen of China, 16, will race in the 200-meter individual medley, while Missy Franklin of the United States, 17, will swim in the 200-meter freestyle event.  Ye broke the world record in the 400-meter medley on Sunday, later fending off accusations that she used performance-enhancing drugs.  Franklin took gold in the 100-meter freestyle on Monday, just minutes after qualifying for the 200-meter event.

Gymnastics

In women's gymnastics, the United States is the favorite to take home the team gold medal, holding a solid lead over Russia and China.  

In the equestrian event, second-place Great Britain is hoping to outclass the first-place German team in Tuesday's team competition, which combines the riding disciplines of dressage and obstacle jumping.  The British team includes Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth.  

Empty seats

Outside the Olympic venues, Londoners are angry about the huge amounts of empty seats at many of the events.  The seats were reserved by national and international Olympic federations and Olympic sponsors.  In response to the outcry, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that military personnel and other members of the general public will be offered tickets to events.  

After three days of competition, China and the United States are tied with 17 medals, followed by Japan with 11, Italy with 8 and France with 7.

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