Jenny Thompson won three more gold medals in Sydney, bringing her career total to six and securing her place as one of the best swimmers in Olympic history. But perhaps the most memorable performance in Sydney was the swim-of-a-lifetime turned in by Misty Hyman in the 200-meter butterfly. Pitted against Australia's "Madame Butterfly" Susie O'Neill, the 1996 gold medalist who had not lost a race in six years, Hyman, '01, was considered an outside threat for a silver. No one, except perhaps Hyman herself, imagined her winning the gold.
Hyman took the lead in the first 50 meters and led by half a body length with 100 meters to go. O'Neill made a charge and appeared poised to overtake Hyman on the final turn, but the American held off the superstar, extended her lead down the stretch, and touched first in 2.05.88, an Olympic record and more than 2 seconds better than Hyman's previous personal best.
Kevin Cool is the executive editor of Stanford.
