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Thursday, September 21
Americans tie for bronze in 100 free
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Inge de Bruijn won the 100-meter
freestyle Thursday, her second gold medal of the Olympics, denying
American Jenny Thompson a victory in her final chance for an
individual gold.
|  | | Inge de Bruijn, left, might have won Thursday, but Jenny Thompson is still the most decorated U.S. women's swimmer. |
De Bruijn, of the Netherlands, won in 53.83 seconds; she won the
100 butterfly last Sunday.
Therese Alshammar of Sweden won the silver in 54.33. Thompson
and teammate Dara Torres tied for bronze in 54.43 seconds.
"I've never had a bronze before," Thompson said.
Thompson's medal made her the most decorated woman swimmer in
history with nine career medals. Dawn Fraser of Australia, Kornelia
Ender of Germany and American Shirley Babashoff are tied with
eight.
The 27-year-old Thompson also broke a tie with Babashoff for
most Olympic medals by an American woman.
Thompson's failure to win a gold by herself was reminiscent of
the 1996 Olympics, where she surprisingly didn't qualify for an
individual event. She won three golds on relays, but postponed
retirement to chase an individual gold.
Her only individual Olympic medal had been silver in the 100
freestyle in 1992.
"The individual gold medal wasn't in the cards, I guess,"
Thompson said. "I'm just completely satisfied with how I did. I
know I did the best I could."
Torres, a 33-year-old swimming in her fourth Olympics after a
seven-year layoff, claimed her second bronze. She was third to De
Bruijn in the 100 butterfly Sunday.
Thompson, of Dover, N.H., and Torres, of Beverly Hills, Calif.,
teamed to earn gold in the 400 freestyle relay Sunday. Thompson's
seventh career gold came Wednesday when she anchored the 800
freestyle relay.
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