PHELPS FINDS HIS GOLDEN TOUCH TWO WINS PUT HIM ON RECORD PACE.

Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer

ATHENS - Mike Phelps' ultimate dream may have been put to rest for this Olympics, but his backup plan is looking pretty impressive.

Phelps is no longer a threat to match or surpass Mark Spitz, but he won his second and third gold medals at the Olympic pool Tuesday, has five medals overall and could tie the record for most medals won in a single Summer Games.

Phelps won the men's 200 butterfly in Olympic record time, and then came back an hour later to swim the leadoff leg on the men's 800 freestyle relay, leading the U.S. to a stirring upset of Australia.

Matched against Australia's Grant Hackett, Phelps took command and gave the U.S. an early 1 minute, 1 second lead. Ryan Lochte stretched it to a 1:11 lead and then Peter Vanderkaay pushed it to 1:48.

But waiting to anchor Australia was once again, Ian Thorpe.

Thorpe immediately attacked Klete Keller, and by the middle of the second leg, had just about caught him.

It appeared Thorpe was about to add another legendary finish to his storied career.

Then on his third length, Keller slightly increased his lead.

``I knew Klete was one of the toughest guys on the planet,'' Phelps said.

``He's a guy who will come home strong.''

It came down to the final 50 meters, Thorpe again closing, looking like he might overtake Keller.

The Olympic pool crowd rose to its feet. A dramatic finish built, it's end uncertain, but Keller was cool under pressure.

``I was just swimming,'' said Keller, who swam at USC. ``We all train to race against the best in the world every day.

``I was just thinking of all my teammates cheering me on, and on the sideline, and I wanted to make them proud, make my country proud.''

Keller had just enough to hold Thorpe off, touching the wall to complete an American-best mark of 7:07.33. Thorpe's touch left Australia with the silver at 7:07.46.

``It was just a magical race,'' said Australia's Michael Klim. ``It was a fantastic spot of swimming.

``We just gave Ian too much of a lead to overcome. We can't expect Ian to win the relay for us all the time.''

A day that began grimly for the U.S. team when both its entries in the men's 100 free - Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker - failed to advance out of the morning preliminaries, ended on a tremendous high.

In addition to the 800 free relay gold and Phelps' gold in the 200 fly, Amanda Beard overcame a disappointing fourth-place finish in Monday's 100 breaststroke, to win silver in the women's 200 individual medley. She's only competed in the event for the past year.

``I was a little disappointed with the fourth place, but my time was right on my personal best,'' Beard said. ``It did kind of fuel me up for today.''

Tuesday marked Beard's fifth overall medal in three Olympics. She first burst upon the Olympic scene as a 14-year-old tugging a teddy bear. In 2000, she won bronze in the 200 breast, an event she still has to swim here.

``The older I get, the more special it is,'' said Beard.

Beard said she will continue to swim competitively and hopes to make the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing, China.

The men's 800 free relay in China will have to be some race to match Tuesday's.

``It was the greatest race I've ever been part of,'' Phelps said.

``I knew Klete would come through. He anchored the relay perfectly. That is why we won. He held off the greatest freestyler in swimming history.''

The 800 free relay had been property of the Aussies for the past several years. They won it in Sydney, and then the next year, broke the world record.

And they still had three of the swimmers from that record team in Thorpe, Hackett and Klim.

The U.S. strategy was to build a lead for Keller.

``We knew if Klete had any kind of a lead, he was going to hold Thorpe off,'' said John Urbanchek, the assistant U.S. men's coach. ``And Thorpe made a mistake, making his move too early. When he didn't catch him, I knew Klete would win.''

Phelps left little doubt in his 200 fly victory. He broke out to an early lead and then held off Japan's Takashi Yamamoto down the stretch.

``I could definitely feel him coming on,'' Phelps said. ``I could see the flash of water from Takashi.''

Phelps trimmed 1:31 off the Olympic record, but finished only .52 ahead of Yamamoto.

Phelps has five medals (three gold, two bronze) and could compete in three more. If he does and medals in all three, eight would tie USSR gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin's single-Games mark set in the boycotted 1980 Olympics.

Yet Phelps seemed more excited about the relay gold than his own individual medal. He leapt in the air when Keller touched, point his index fingers upward and celebrated like never before seen.

``It was an amazing race,'' he said. ``We've been wanting to win this for so long.''

Phelps will be favored to win gold in the 400 IM Thursday, and with Crocker struggling with a sore throat, could win the 100 fly, which would put him in the 400 IM relay.

USC's Kaitlin Sandeno could also add to her two medals tonight. She finished first in the women's 200 fly semifinals Tuesday.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) Michael Phelps reacts after USC's Klete Keller holds off Australia's Ian Thorpe to give U.S. the upset in 800-meter relay.

Mark Baker/Associated Press

Box:

EIGHT IS GREAT