The Unofficial 2008 Beijing Olympics Blog

Michael Phelps will have to fight his “great friend and great competitor” Ian Crocker in the Men’s 100m Butterfly on Saturday morning in his quest for eight gold medals.

The world record holder of this event, Crocker won’t allow an easy win for Phelps, as this is Crocker’s only chance to win an individual gold medal at the Beijing Games.

In the Women’s 200m Backstroke final, defending Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe will encounter the close competition from two Americans — world record holder Margaret Hoelzer and the 16-year-old rising star Elizabeth Beisel.

Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington will go for her second gold at the Water Cube in the Women’s 800m Freestyle, after winning the Women’s 400m Freestyle on Monday. Camelia Alina Potec of Romania will be her biggest rival, with the absence of world champion Kate Ziegler of the United States and Olympic champion Ai Shibata of Japan, who failed to qualify.

The Men’s 50m Freestyle final will see the close match of Thursday’s 100m Freestyle champion Alain Bernard of France, world record holder Eamon Sullivan of Australia, and Brazilian Cesar Filho Cielo who qualified fastest for the final in an Olympic record.

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