Sunday, July 26, 2009

Michael Phelps gold medal win frame by frame

Seeing wasn't believing. It took technology to confirm Michael Phelps won his seventh Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly with a finish so close it fooled the human eye.

Anyone watching in the jammed-to-the-rafters Water Cube or on television thought Milorad Cavic of Serbia had pulled a monumental upset Saturday morning, spoiling Phelps' chance at breaking Mark Spitz's vaunted record of seven golds in a single games.

The Serb did, too.

It was so close and impossible to detect on regular-speed replays that the Serbian delegation filed a protest, triggering video and timing reviews down to the 10-thousandth of a second by FINA, swimming's world governing body.

As seen in this blowup from the previous frame, Cavic hadn't touched the wall yet.

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