BEIJING -- The strains of the "Star-Spangled Banner" rang out over the Water Cube. President Bush, in the stands, waved his own American flag as the big one went up over the pool. And then, just as the song was getting to the part about the land of the free - the song stopped.

Atop the podium, Michael Phelps laughed.

It was the only glitch in a picture-perfect Sunday morning. Phelps not only won the 400-meter individual medley, the first gold medal in his historic quest for eight, one better than Mark Spitz in 1972, but in doing so smashing the world record.

Phelps touched in 4:03.84, nearly a second and a half faster than the 4:05.25 he himself had gone June 29 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb.

Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, the bronze medalist in the 400 IM in Athens in 2004, won silver Sunday, in 4:06.16.

American Ryan Lochte finished third in 4:08.09.

If it sounds obvious, it's no less true: it's not possible to win eight without winning the first, and Phelps said, "Having the first one off your back means the most."

Phelps won the 400 IM at the Athens Games as well. As in 2008, it was the first race on his agenda in 2004 - and he has said many times that the 400 IM victory in Athens was emotional.

So was this one, he said.

As in 2004, the 400 IM came first on his agenda.

Moreover, the 400 IM is his longest, and arguably hardest, race - in sequence, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

"I was," he said Sunday, "pretty emotional after that race."

More emotional, perhaps, because President Bush was in the stands.
The president, Phelps said, shot him a thumbs-up at the close of the race. Phelps said, "I thought that was pretty cool."

Emotional because of the broken wrist Phelps sustained last fall that, at first, threatened his ability to compete at these Beijing Olympics, and other challenges. "I tried to find my mom," Debbie, "but I couldn't find her," Phelps said a few moments after the race. "It's an exciting time, especially remembering what's happened this year."

And because, as Phelps disclosed after the race, he's done racing the 400 IM. This was it.

Only Phelps and his longtime coach and mentor, Bob Bowman, knew beforehand that this would be the last time out in the 400 IM, a race Phelps has thoroughly dominated. He hasn't lost in a 400 IM final since 2002.

"I told Bob that this would be my last 400 IM, so I've got to go out there and get a good time," Phelps said.

The wonder about Phelps is how he manages to take something so outrageously difficult and make it look so easy.

A second and a half - to be precise, he shaved 1.41 seconds off the world record. In the Olympic final, that sort of thing just isn't done.

At least not by anyone else.

Lochte pushed Phelps at the U.S. Olympic Trials - both finished under then-world-record time, Phelps slightly ahead - and came to Beijing with a plan.

Force the race Phelps in the second leg, the backstroke; try to move up or ahead in the breast, the third, with the idea of being about even going into the fourth leg, the free; and then race like hell.

Great plan. Unless Michael Phelps is in the pool, too.

Lochte went out relatively slowly in the butterfly, fourth at 50 meters, third at 100.

He turned it on in the next 50 meters, the first leg of the backstroke. At 150 meters, Loche was first, in 1:26.04, more than a half-second under world-record pace; Phelps was second, in 1:26.29.

Lochte, as the next two minutes would prove, simply went out too fast, too soon.

At 200 meters, he had already faded to second.

By 350 meters, the final turn, he was in third, behind Cseh.

The final 50 meter sprint:

Phelps, 27.85 seconds.

Cseh, 28.48.

Lochte 30.16.

"I guess you can say I went out too fast," Lochte said. "I knew I had to get out fast."

He also said, "The backstroke took a lot out of me, but I did my best. I can't ask for anything more."

Michael Phelps can.

Seven more.