The United States male swimmers, led by Michael Phelps, took their second relay gold in men's 4X200 freestyle in an unchallenged race at the Beijing Games on Wednesday.

The American quartet of Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay beat their own world record by 4.68 seconds to clock six minutes and 58.56 seconds.

Russians won the silver and Australian swimmers finished third, clocking 7:03.70 and 7:04.98 respectively.

Phelps, who has just won a gold in his favorite event the 200m butterfly, led the field out and finished his four laps a body length faster than the second-fastest Australian Patrick Murphy.

The Americans led throughout the race, as Phelps puffed and waited anxiously at the deck. Before the last leg Vanderkaay closed the race about 5.14 seconds faster than the runner-up Russians, Phelps and his teammates began celebrating their win.

"Talking about breaking the seven-minute record, we came out four guys together that averaged 45 seconds better for every one. We've been lucky," Phelps said.

"I have three races (100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 4X100 medley relay)left, and I'm pumped out really," he said.

The gold medal, the fifth in Beijing and the 11th for Phelps, took him one step further to be the greatest Olympian ever.

After the medal ceremony, Phelps hugged and kissed her mother and sisters, who were in tears over his victories on the spectators' stand.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2008)