By
The Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia - How's this for a cruel twist of fate? Jenny Thompson, across three Olympiads, earned more medals than any woman swimmer. She just couldn't win the one she wanted most.
U.S. boxer Dante Craig, knocked out of the Olympics in just his second fight, knows how she feels.
The Thompson saga was the most dramatic tale yesterday at the Aquatic Center, but it wasn't the only one. The United States, led by Lenny Krayzelburg's second Sydney gold, collected eight medals on the sixth night of swimming competition.
Thompson, 27, took a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle, giving her a career total of nine - adding that one to her seven relay golds and one individual silver. But she failed to get the individual gold medal she'd been trying for.
Thompson postponed her retirement in 1996 to chase her personal white whale, although it came in a different color.
"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."
The numbers back her up: Nine medals made her the most decorated woman swimmer in history. Thompson also broke a tie with American swimmer Shirley Babashoff for most Olympic medals by an American woman.
There's just that one that got away ...
Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands won the 100m freestyle for her second gold, a complement to her victory in the 100m butterfly.
Unlike Thompson, nothing escaped Krayzelburg.
The Ukrainian immigrant-turned-U.S. swimmer set an Olympic record in taking the 200m backstroke to complete a Sydney sweep. Krayzelburg's earlier victory in the 100m backstroke made him just the fourth man to win both events in a single games. Americans Rick Carey (1984) and John Naber (1976) and German Roland Matthes (1968, 1972) were the others.
Krayzelburg's precocious teammate Aaron Peirsol, just 17, won the backstroke silver. America earned two more medals in the 200m individual medley, where Tom Dolan won the silver and Tom Wilkens took the bronze.
By the end of competition yesterday, the United States led the games with 31 medals (11 gold, 10 silver, 10 bronze). Host Australia followed with 25 (8-9-8), while France (7-9-4) and Russia (4-8-8) had 20 apiece.
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BOXING: After watching his teammates take 11 straight bouts, the 147-pound Craig stepped into the ring brimming with confidence. By the second round of his second fight, he was down on the canvas and his medal hopes were shot.
"I'm mad, because I believed before I went into the ring I was the better man," Craig said after his 9-4 defeat to Bulent Ulusoy of Turkey. "It's just hard to be the first one to lose."
Earlier, U.S. 119-pounder Clarence Vinson outpointed Taalaibek Kadiraliev of Kyrgyszstan 12-7 in a tough bout that he clinched with a fourth-round left hook and a right to the head. It was Vinson's second straight win.
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TRACK: Defending double gold medalist Marie-Jose Perec, after a mysterious day of flight and fight, officially dropped out of the Olympics yesterday. The announcement was made by French team officials - and it was no surprise, because Perec was in Singapore rather than Sydney less than 24 hours before her first-round heat in the 400-meters.
Perec had fled Australia after a man allegedly harassed her inside a Sydney hotel room. Police and a hotel official said they were unaware of any incident.
Upon landing in Singapore, her companion, former American 400m runner Anthuan Maybank, did his best impression of Jake LaMotta. Maybank scuffled with a cameraman in the airport; freelancer Kyme Hallion later said that Maybank "came at me like a raging bull."
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GYMNASTICS: Romanian Andreea Raducan became the first Romanian since Nadia Comaneci in 1976 to capture the all-around gymnastics gold. Raducan led a Romanian sweep of the event as Simona Amanar took silver and Maria Olaru won bronze.
American national champion Elise Ray finished 14th after taking a spill from the balance beam.
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DRUG TESTS: Czech cyclist Jan Hruska is out of the Olympics after testing positive for an unspecified banned substance, becoming the second Czech athlete booted for doping. Weightlifter Zbynek Vacura was sent home after a test showed use of an anabolic steroid.
