Phelps Photo Finish

August 16, 2008: American swimmer Michael Phelps won the men's 100-meter butterfly event in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, tying Mark Spitz's 1972 record for seven gold medals in one Olympics. He finished at 50.58 seconds, just a hundredth of a second ahead of Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic at 50.59.¹ Serbia filed an official protest, but FINA, the international governing body of swimming, confirmed that Phelps touched the wall first.²

Fast Facts

1. Occurred on night of August 15, 2008 for viewers in the United States
2. Olympic swimming finishes determined by touch pad sensors, not photos or video²
3. FINA broke video down to a ten-thousandth of a second, confirming that timing system was working properly²
4. Milorad Cavic glided to the wall after a full stroke while Michael Phelps did another half stroke, allowing the American swimmer to touch first¹
5. Phelps didn't know he had won the race until he saw the scoreboard²
6. Only time in the 2008 Olympics that Phelps has not broken a world record with a win¹

Categories