SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR PHELPS

MICHAEL PHELPS kept his bid for eight gold medals on course with an astonishing fingertip win in the 100 metres butterfly today.

The American won his SEVENTH gold by just one hundredth of a second in an incredible race with Serb Milorad Cavic, who looked as though he had touched first.

So inconclusive were the replays Serbia lodged a protest which, after careful consideration by officials, was dismissed and the result was allowed to stand.

It meant Phelps, with a time of 50.58, drew level with the legendary Mark Spitz, who won seven golds at the 1972 Munich Games.

Phelps admitted he thought he'd lost, saying: "I took short, faster strokes to try to get my hand on the wall and I ended up making the right decision.

“If I had glided I would have been way to long. I saw the race afterwards andI was shocked.

“One hundredth of a second is the smallest margin of victory in our sport. I guess it is pretty cool, that’s all I can say.

“The timing system says it all. There hasn’t really been an error in a timing system that I have ever heard of.

“All that I can say is I raced as hard as I could and swam my best. The scoreboard said I got my hand on the wall first.”

The Serbian team disagreed and immediately lodged their written protest.

There was a feeling inside the National Aquatics centre that officials had been too quick to award victory to Phelps, with his record-breaking effort at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Referee Ben Ekumbo said: “Immediately after the men’s 100m butterfly we got an official, written protest from Serbia which was questioning the arrival of Phelps as being too fast.

“We looked at video footage and it was very clear the Serbian swimmer touched second, after Phelps. One was stroking and one was gliding.

“Two independent timing systems showed exactly the same on the time. Phelps was 50.58, Cavic was 50.59.

“The automatic timing systems are in perfect order and there are no doubts.”

“Although the rules don’t allow for team leaders to watch the video footage I had a meeting with the Serbia team leaders to afford them the opportunity to see the video themselves.

“The Serbian team were very satisfied and they agreed with the comments of the referee.”

Ekumbo also stressed there was never any danger of Phelps losing his gold medal.

He said: “Michael Phelps is the greatest ever and he would have been first in this race any how. The question was whether to share (the gold medal) or not to share.

“But what the referee saw was very clear. There was no doubt whatsoever, the first arrival was Michael Phelps.”

Cavic admitted he had not been in favour of the protest.

“It is the hardest loss but it is a real honour to be swimming with Michael Phelps,” he said.

“It’s a pity we both didn’t finish 50.58, I would have loved to have shared that gold.

“I saw a replay a few minutes after the race and I’m shocked but also really happy.

“I know I had a long finish and Phelps had a short finish. This is what the results showed on the electronic board.”