BEIJING–That's six of one and a half-dozen of everything else for Michael Phelps in the Olympic swimming pool.

The U.S. swimmer continued to redefine greatness at these Games, knocking off his sixth gold medal in another world-record swim last night (Toronto time) and coming within two victories of unprecedented sporting achievement.

According to Laszlo Cseh, second to Phelps, he'll get them, too.

"Michael is unbeatable,'' the Hungarian declared.

Phelps won the 200-metre individual medley over Cseh and U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte, the feat leaving him one behind the seven golds won by U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz in the 1972 Munich Games.

The 100-metre butterfly is next on the Baltimore Bullet's to-do list, (10:10 tonight Toronto time), but consider the list the 23-year-old student at the University of Michigan has assembled: In six finals he has the six wins (two as part of relays) and six world and Olympic records

Those six gold also represent a tie with Canada – in the past 2 1/2 Olympics total. The True North won three golds in Sydney, three in Athens and zero so far here.

Phelps's latest blast through the water was timed in one minute, 54.23 seconds. Cseh, who pushed him early, was receding in the final 50 metres as Phelps again took everyone's best shot and then swam away.

Cseh's own time, 1:56.52, still represents a European record.

"I just wanted to step on it in the first 50 (metres) a little bit and try to get out to an early lead,'' said Phelps, who led Cseh by .36 of a second after the breaststroke.

"If I got a big enough lead I thought I could hang on and that's all I wanted to do."

"I tried to do a harder start in the first 100 metres, but Michael's breaststroke is awesome," Cseh said.

After his medals ceremony, Phelps jumped right back into the water and advanced to the 100-metre butterfly final, catching everyone in the final 20 metres and winning his semi in 50.97 seconds.

Finishing in seventh place was Canada's Keith Beavers, 25-year-old native of Orangeville, Ont., who seemed to be the guy in the building least impressed by the presence of Phelps.

"I really couldn't care less if Michael was in the pool or not. It doesn't matter to me one bit. It could be anyone beside me and I'll race him," he said.

"The water in front of me is all I care about,'' added Beavers, who was clocked in 1:59.43, a little behind the Canadian-record 1:59.19 he counted in a preliminary.

"I can't complain about a seventh place at the Olympics. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time," he said.

"I've dreamed of being in the finals since I was young. To finally get here made the 20 years of hard work worth it.''

Lochte figured to be the strongest challenger to Phelps, but needed to overcome a tight schedule. He had outduelled teammate Aaron Peirsol to win the men's 200-metre backstroke final that began only 29 minutes before the 200 IM. He set a world record in that event and couldn't be faulted for having less than a full tank.

"I knew that was a hard double for Ryan,'' Phelps said.

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Earlier, Toronto-born Vancouver resident Annamay Pierse was sixth in the women's 200-metre breaststroke final, a race won by Rebecca Soni of the U.S., who set a world record of 2:20.22 to defeat Leisel Jones of Australia and Sara Nordenstam of Norway.

Pierse, 24, who had qualified in a sharp 2:23.94 in her semifinal, a Canadian record, said then, "I swam my own race every inch of the way (and) I feel I have more in me for finals.'' She was correct; she was timed in 2:23.77 in the final.

"I was hoping for a medal and gave it my all. It didn't turn out today, but I'm still new on this international scene. I know I've come a long way, but I've still got a ways to go,'' Pierse said, adding that "Canadians are in there and fighting for it and doing an all-round great job. Our times are showing it. Placings might not, but we've come such a long way.''

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