Another who looked fated to play perennial bridesmaid at these Games, Italilan Massimiliano Rosolini, upset American Tom Dolan to win the 200m individual medley in Olympic record time. Rosolini had passed earnestly and anonymously through the Games as a minor medallist behind Thorpe and van den Hoogenband in the glamour races of the meet, but now had his moment and was not about to let it pass. He leapt from the pool, raised his arms triumphantly and threw himself into a knot of supporters. Rosolini's mother, Carolyne, is Australian, and he lived for three years of his childhood in Melbourne. He lives now in Naples, where his father is a restaurateur.
Some people have it all.
Backstroker Matt Welsh added to Australia's medal tally, winning bronze in the 200m backstroke behind Americans Lenny Krayzelburg and Aaron Piersol. Butterfliers Michael Klim and Geoff Huegill set up another day of great anticipations when they qualified fastest and second-fastest for tonight's 100m final. Huegill became only the second man to swim under 52 seconds. He broke the Olympic record, but missed the world record by 14 hundredths of a second. Agnes Kovacs was helpless to shed tears of joy after beating two Americans for gold in the women's 200m breaststroke final.