Ryan Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian of All Time; Record-Breaking Olympic Highlights; Parting Shots:  Bronze Joy
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Well, live from the Olympic Park, I'm Becky Anderson. And history is being made in the swimming pool as we speak. U.S. sensation Michael Phelps equaling the record for most Olympic medals, one he may in the next half a minute or so become the most decorated Olympian ever.</s>MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Max Foster at CNN London. In other news tonight, hundreds of millions plunged into darkness: how one of the world's worst power outages threatens India's growth. And...</s>WATSON: We're in a rebel controlled makeshift prison in a school where they are keeping 112 prisoners. They're going to show us the prisoners conditions right now.</s>FOSTER: What CNN discovered inside that Syrian classroom.</s>ANDERSON: Well, it has been a dramatic evening in the pool here at the London Olympics. The aquatic center is just behind me. And I promise you I can hear the roars right now watching Michael Phelps as he attempts to become the most decorated Olympian of all time in the 200 meters men's relay as we speak. About a minute or so to go, I believe if he gets a medal in this, comes first, second, or third with Team USA he will become the most decorated Olympian of all with 19 medals. As we just wait to bring you that, another story that began four days ago and still dominating the news here after setting a new world record on Saturday, China's Ye Shiwen was the focus of everyone's attention in the women's 200 meter individual medley just about 15 minutes ago. Once again, she came out on top, this time setting a new Olympic record. Joining me now is Ian Hanson, an Australian Olympics commentator, former media director for Australian Swim. And perhaps more important this is your eighth Olympics. You've never been the most decorated Olympian yet, but we may just be about to see the man who is. And he is a remarkable fellow, Michael Phelps, isn't it?</s>IAN HANSON, AUSTRALIAN OLYMPICS COMMENTATOR: Absolutely, Becky. I remember seeing him for the firs time as a 15-year-old in Sydney in 2000. And hasn't he gone from strength to strength? And there's only one Michael Phelps. And it's a bit of a heartbreaker earlier on, of course, just dipping out on that tournament in his butterfly. But I tell you what, you know, what a swimmer, what -- the brightest all around Olympian in swimming history. And he really has set himself an amazing target for others to chase.</s>ANDERSON: And you've had Ian Thorpe who of course was one of the most fantastic swimmers of our generation. And he much be watching this. They just come in. And indeed they've taken the gold in that relay and therefore he does become -- what a moment in Olympic history. Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with 19 Olympic records. I can feel that -- I've got goose bumps on my arm.</s>HANSON: I don't know about you, but I'd be happy with one, let alone 19, you know. It's just -- other Olympians around the world would be satisfied with that. If they can get just get one medal, whether it be gold, silver, or bronze -- Phelps look at what he's done through Sydney, Athens, Beijing, and now here in London. An extraordinary athlete. And, you know, what a legacy he will leave for the sport.</s>ANDERSON: Over a period of 12 years. And this is a sport which is always sort of in the headlines, as it were, at the beginning of the Olympics. And always an incredibly exciting event, isn't it?</s>HANSON: Oh, absolutely. But on Phelps, I mean, you can just imagine the training he's got to do to maintain his ranking and the ability to be able to do that.</s>ANDERSON: Will you talk us through that? What does he need to do to be like this?</s>HANSON: It's incredible, it really is incredible to train as hard as he does -- early mornings, late nights, in the gym, doing everything -- but you've got to hang on there for this Olympics. And it's extraordinary. I know, very similar to our own Elisa Jones (ph) who has just hung on for her recordbreaking fourth Olympic games. You just want to try and (inaudible) the line and he's done that for his 19th medal. It's an extraordinary thing.</s>ANDERSON: What does it feel like to be, for example, an Aussie swimmer in the era of Michael Phelps. I mean, after all the Australians dominated the pool for so long. It's a bit like being a golfer during the era of Tiger Woods as it was.</s>HANSON: Absolutely. And I mean, it's hard. I mean, I know from our own experiences with the likes of Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Michael Klim, Geoff Huegill (ph), Matt Welsh, the golden era of Australian swimmer when it was really Australia versus the USA. It was just a -- it was on in the lead up to Sydney and after Sydney. And it's hard to follow in those footsteps.</s>ANDERSON: You say you've known and been following Michael Phelps since he was 15 years old. What's he like as a bloke?</s>HANSON: I think he's a terrific guy. I live on the Gulf Coast in Sydney. And he was there at training camp last year. And he actually saw me on the side of the pool, stopped and said "g'day mate." And that's the sort of guy he is. And I've known him like since he was 15. And he's a terrific young guy. And, you know, what he's done for the sport, assuming in the U.S., but around the world, is extraordinary.</s>ANDERSON: How long does he go on?</s>HANSON: Oh, this is it. I'm sure it -- I think he's really struggling just to get it out. I mean, I watched him the other night in the 400 medley. The poor man, he was really struggling. But to get himself up and to do what he's done in the relays -- and that's, that's the key to swimming and the U.S. team is to get yourself up for the relays and they showed that tonight.</s>ANDERSON: And of course he's been swimming tonight with Ryan Lochte who is his teammate, but nemesis in the pool to a certain extent in some races as well.</s>HANSON: Absolutely. And -- I mean, Lochte, to have -- I mean, as an Australian to have to deal with Phelps and now he's off the scene, now we've got to deal with Lochte. But he's -- but what an athlete, what a great athlete. And all around too, not just freestyle, but backstroke, medley, butterfly, great swimmers. But they're great for the sport.</s>ANDERSON: All right. Michael Phelps tonight in the past five minutes or so winning gold with the U.S. 200 freestyle team putting himself in the history books, the most decorated Olympian ever with 19 medals. That is remarkable. The pool has absolutely dominated the news here at London '12 in the Olympic Park behind me for all the right reasons as we've just seen, and perhaps all the wrong reasons as well. USA swimming tonight distancing itself from a coach called John Leonard who had made some comments about a Chinese swimmer. This is a story that had legs four days ago. It has still got legs tonight. Today USA Swimming issuing a statement pointing out that John Leonard is neither an employee nor a spokesman for the U.S. team. The reason I tell you this is that Olympic organizers have rallied around in defense of the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen against growing speculation over doping. Now I'm sure our viewers will have been keeping up with this story over the past couple of days. The story wouldn't have had legs if John Leonard after her race on Saturday when she swam faster in the last leg of an individual medley than Ryan Lochte did in his, said this was disturbing, unbelievable, and when we see unbelievable things in the world of swimming generally, he says, effectively doping is involved. I want to get your response to all of this.</s>HANSON: Yeah, I mean John Leonard has been outspoken for many, many years. I've known John for, you know, for the last two decades. And he's always quick to pounce on that. Listen, I think it's too early to cast dispersions against this young lady and against -- against China to be quite truthful. I think that the media is always very quick to do that and in the past with good reason. I mean, we've come through the -- you know, over the decades the East German doping regime and then of course China as well. But I think this -- and this time, Becky, I've been a bit too quick to jump. And I think we've got to give some benefit in the -- benefit of the doubt in that area. But listen I just watched the 200 IM before coming on air. And there wasn't that much difference between -- between the Chinese girl and our girl. Alicia Couuts finishing second. The American girl finished third. It was blanket finish. So, you know, I think it's too soon</s>ANDERSON: I think it's important for our viewers who may not have heard this story to just get a sense of who Ye Shiwen is, profile piece on you from Max Foster here who has been taking a look at her dramatic rise. Straight after that you're going to hear a comment from the IOC spokesman Mark Adams who I spoke to earlier on today. Have a listen to this.</s>FOSTER: It may seem like Chinese swim sensation Ye Shiwen has come out of the blue, but the 16 year old has been a dominant force in the individual medal relay for the past two years. The swimmer, who has an Australian coach, entered the 2012 games as the world champion in the 200 meter medley. But it's the 400 meter event in which Ye originally caused a stir in the London pool. She not only won gold and smashed the world record, but swam faster in the last 50 meters than U.S. champion Ryan Lochte. It's a statistical anomaly that's raise allegations of doping, but this young superstar has strongly denied those allegations.</s>MARK ADAMS, IOC SPOKESMAN: She gets tested straight after she's won. And I should just say here that the top five finishers in a final, plus two others. So in that race, seven out of eight people were tested for blood and urine tests. That will happen straightaway. And then within a period of 72 hours we will have the results back. I won't hear anything unless there's an abnormal test comes up. I have nothing -- heard nothing at all. And I think basically for people to talk about this in this way is actually kind of rather sad.</s>ANDERSON: She was tested in as Mark said there, as all medal winning athletes are. She was tested Sunday, I believe, so the results will be available to Mark at the IOC by Wednesday morning midday. And we will of course hear if there's anything untowards. Do you expect there will be?</s>HANSON: Oh, listen, it's just -- I mean, it's just a ridiculous situation to (inaudible) Becky, it really is. I mean, you've got to be, you know, innocent until proven guilty. And I think it's -- you know, I think it's quite ludicrous that this is happening.</s>ANDERSON: There have been a number of expert and former swimmers who have been on our air and across print and broadcast media over the last couple of days saying it is not impossible to see dramatic improvement in teenage competitors. We saw the 15 year old Lithuanian girl in the pool yesterday winning a gold. We've seen the likes of (inaudible) in the past. Mark Spitz talking on our air to Piers Morgan suggesting that he made huge improvements, leaps and bounds. Have you seen that in the pool, 14, 15, 16 year olds shaving seconds off their times in months?</s>HANSON: Absolutely. I've had a daughter who has done that in her own career who went on to win Olympic silver in Athens. And, you know, it's -- we judged her and looked at her through 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 without hardly any training. And they just improved from week to week. It just -- it does happen in teenage -- in girls in particular. And we've seen a lot of that happening around the world in various things. And this young girl from Lithuania, I mean what a performance. And she's coached here in England, in Plymouth.</s>ANDERSON: Spoke to her coach earlier on today, remarkable story at that, came over from Lithuania, searched around. He wanted her to swim. Searched around in Portsmouth in the south of England, found a pool. Same pool that the diver Tom Daley goes -- same school, in fact. And the rest is history there as well. Thank you very much indeed, sir, for joining us this evening. Best of luck with those Aussies. Not doing particularly well, are they?</s>HANSON: Oh, we're getting...</s>ANDERSON: Cross fingers for them.</s>HANSON: Thank you.</s>ANDERSON: Still to come tonight on this show, this is a special Connect the World live from the Olympic Park, making royal splash outside of the pool, let's just remind you what happened in the pool tonight. Mark Phelps -- Mark Phelps, here we go -- Mark Phelps -- Mr. Phelps winning a gold with the U.S. team and therefore becoming the most celebrated Olympian ever. The picture's your thing of the Queen's granddaughter getting a medal from her mom. That, plus a roundup of the other Olympic headlines in about 20 minutes here on CNN. All that, let's get back to Max in the studio for all the other big stories of the day -- Max.</s>FOSTER: Becky, coming up almost 10 percent of the world's population in the dark. India experiences a colossal power failure for the second straight day. And another moment Mitt Romney could have rather avoided. The latest embarrassment of his overseas tour when Connect the World continues.