Bennett Wins Gold in 800m Freestyle

S Y D N E Y, Australia, Sept. 22 -- Americans Gary Hall Jr. and AnthonyErvin shared Olympic gold in the 50-meter freestyle today, tyingin 21.98 seconds.

Teammate Brooke Bennett captured the marathon of women’s swimming in an Olympic record 8 minutes, 19.67 seconds — lowering the old mark of 8:20.20set by Janet Evans at the 1988 Olympics.

Two-time gold medalist Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands took bronze in men’s 50 with a time of 22.03.

Alexander Popov of Russia was sixth in 22.24, failing to win anunprecedented third consecutive Olympic title.

“I don’t mind sharing the gold medal podium,” Hall said. “Itcouldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, a guy I practice with allthe time. It was like another day of practice.”

Teammates, Partners, Winners

Hall, of Phoenix, and Ervin, of Valencia, Calif., are trainingpartners in Arizona. Ervin, who at 19 was the youngest swimmer inthe eight-man final, is the first swimmer of black heritage to makea U.S. Olympic team.

The Americans shared a joyous hug and Ervin leaned over to tellHall, “It couldn’t have ended up any better.”

Hall, the silver medalist to Popov four years ago in Atlanta,was actually faster at the U.S. trials in August, where his time of21.76 set an American record and was the second-fastest in history.

Ervin also finished second to Hall at the trials with thethird-quickest time in history.

“The 50 was my place to shine,” Ervin said. “Thankfully, Idid.”

Medal Marks Comeback for Hall

By tying for the gold, Hall avenged his third-place finishbehind Van den Hoogenband and Popov in the 100 freestyle Wednesday.

Hall’s medal capped a troubled four years since Atlanta. He wassuspended for marijuana use by the sport’s international governingbody, then diagnosed with diabetes. He requires several insulationshots daily to keep his blood sugar levels in check.

“There’s a million reasons why I shouldn’t be here, likediabetes,” he said. “To come out on top is such a thrill.”