Michael Phelps listens to the national anthem after winning gold in the 200-meter freestyle. Phelps claimed his third gold of the Games early today in Beijing.

Beijing ? No drama from Michael Phelps this time. Just another gold medal, another world record and another rung up the chart of Olympic greatness.

Phelps won the 200-meter freestyle in 1:42.96, the fastest-ever time by nearly a full second, giving him three golds and three world records thus far in Beijing. This also was his ninth career gold medal, tying Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis and two others for the biggest stash of Olympic gold.

And he still has five races to go.

The way Phelps looked this morning, Spitz’s other claim to fame – his record of seven gold at one Olympics – is in trouble.

Phelps led by a full body length after the first half lap. He was so far ahead for so long that it seemed as if he’d been given a head start. And, remember, the seven guys trailing him are among the best swimmers in the world. That included American Peter Vanderkaay, who won bronze.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” became an oft-heard tune at the Water Cube early on Day 4, as Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol won the next two medal races. Coughlin became the first woman to defend her title successfully in the 100 backstroke, then Peirsol won the men’s version in a world record. Margaret Hoelzer got bronze in Coughlin’s race, and Matt Grevers was right behind Peirsol for silver. The next race, the women’s 100 breaststroke, was the first not won by an American – but Rebecca Soni was close, getting the silver.

Just like that, in about 30 minutes, the U.S. medal gold-medal count doubled from three to six, and the overall count jumped from 12 to 19.

More of the same might be needed to hold off the Big Red Machine known as the Chinese delegation. China was on top of the charts after Day 3 with 14 total medals, nine of them gold.

To appreciate those numbers, consider:

¢ Other than the U.S., none of the other 203 delegations had won as many medals of any color as China has won of the very best shade.

¢ No other country had won more than four golds. China had won that many in weightlifting alone.

¢ China had nine different gold winners, so it’s not as if the pile has been padded by one standout, like Phelps.

Also this morning, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team was in second place through five of the six rotations of the team finals, with the heavily favored Chinese in front.

Swimming

Phelps and Coughlin didn’t have long to savor their success. Both were back in the pool within an hour trying to qualify for another final.

Both made it, Phelps with the fastest time in the 200 butterfly and Coughlin in the 200 medley.

Beach volleyball

Reigning champs Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor went to 2-0 with a 21-15, 21-16 victory over a Cuban team.

Shooting

After two of three qualifying rounds, Glenn Eller and Jeff Holguin were in good shape to advance to the afternoon finals of men’s double trap.

In 50-meter pistol, both American entries failed to advance.

Wrestling

American Spencer Mango won his opening match in the 55 kg class of Greco-Roman, defeating Romania’s Virgil Munteanu, 1-1, 5-2.

Tennis

Serena Williams advanced to the third round, needing only 44 minutes to dispatch Australia’s Samantha Stosur, 6-2, 6-0.

Americans Mike and Bob Bryan won their first-round match in doubles, defeating Mark Knowles and Devin Mullings of the Bahamas, 6-2, 6-1.

Monday was like the opening round of a major: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and the Williams sisters all advanced.

Venus Williams, playing her first match since winning Wimbledon, beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky, 6-3, 6-2, and showed no sign of the knee injury that sidelined her in recent weeks.

Weightlifting

Don’t mess with Chinese weightlifters. Chen Yanqing broke two Olympic records en route to her second straight gold medal in the women’s 58-kilogram category, making the host country 3-for-3 thus far.

Later in the day, Zhang Xiangxiang won the men’s 62-kilogram division, upping China to 4-for-4.

Women’s basketball

A day after the U.S. men routed China, the women won by an even more lopsided score.

Tina Thompson powered a 23-0 run in the first quarter that sent the Americans well on their way to a 108-63 victory. By the time Kobe Bryant and the rest of the men’s team settled into their seats at the end of the first quarter the U.S. was up 33-11.

“We were really locked in and focused,” U.S. co-captain Katie Smith said. “We didn’t want to let them stick around. We wanted to let the crowd know that we were ready to play. You don’t want to play around with teams, if you have a chance to make a statement and put them away early you do that.”

Volleyball

The U.S. women’s team lost to Cuba in three sets. The good news: Barbara Bachman, the mother of 2004 Olympian Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon and the mother-in-law of U.S. men’s coach Hugh McCutcheon, has had her condition upgraded to stable after being stabbed by the attacker who also killed her husband and then himself.

Trap shooting

Corey Cogdell, a 21-year-old Alaskan, won a four-way shoot-off for bronze in women’s trap shooting. Finland’s Satu Makela-Nummela hit an Olympic-record 21 targets to take the gold.

Rowing

The American women’s eight crew is headed to the finals after winning its heat. The men’s eight was second in its heat, dropping it into a second-chance race Tuesday in hopes of making the final; three guys are back from the crew that won the first U.S. gold medal in 40 years in that event at Athens.

Water polo

The U.S. women’s team, with 10 first-time Olympians, overcame a shaky start to beat host China 12-11 in preliminary play.

Fencing

Italy’s Maria Valentina Vezzali won the women’s foil for her third straight Olympic gold in the event. Then came a terrific celebration that featured tears, getting carried off the podium by her coach and then riding off on his shoulders.