Rebecca Soni wasn't waiting for the 200-meter breaststroke finals to leave her mark on these Games.
Soni, a Freehold, N.J. product, broke her own world record Wednesday night, touching the wall in 2 minutes, 20 seconds in the semifinals. She refers to the 200 breaststroke as "my baby," and continued to nurture her records as the reigning Olympic and world champion. If she wins the final Thursday night, she will be the first female swimmer to successfully defend her Olympic title from Beijing.
"I felt there was no pressure," said Soni, who also won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke on Monday. "I just wanted to feel it and see how it went. I just went for it."
Soni's success was not the sole highlight for Team USA's women. The 4x200 freestyle relay used a last-leg rally by Allison Schmitt to collect the Americans' first relay gold since the 2004 Games in Athens. Missy Franklin, the 17-year-old sensation, led off, but Schmitt needed to close on the Australians and did so in blistering fashion to win by 1.49 seconds. "I just wanted to bring it home for us," Schmitt said.
Schmitt, who trained with Michael Phelps in Baltmore over the last year, has been the breakout swimmer of the meet. She claimed an individual gold medal in the 200 freestyle and silver in the 400 free. Bob Bowman, her coach, said she's reaping the benefits of strength training, developing a more consistent race approach and a sharper mental edge. "Her swim tonight was perfectly done," Bowman said.
Talent had only gotten previous teams so far. Dana Vollmer, who swam on the 2004 relay team, noted the uncommon camaraderie that the current team has developed as instrumental in their success.
"It's amazing the confidence that's been created," said Vollmer, who set the world record in winning the 200 butterfly earlier in the week."And Allison can push through almost anything."
