Phelps on track as US win men's 4x100m freestyle relay

Beijing: Swimming ace Michael Phelps has teammate Jason Lezak to thank for staying on his eight-gold target at one Games when the United States shattered the 4x100m relay world record in the final on Monday.

The win gave Phelps two golds from two events but the kudos has to go to the US relay anchor Lezak who dived into the water more than a body length behind France's Alain Bernard and made up the deficit with his final strokes.

On the way, the US took an astonishing four seconds off the world record they had set in the heats, posting a new mark of 3min 08.24 sec.

Such was the pace of the race, Australia's Eamon Sullivan set a 100m freestyle world record when he headed Phelps in the lead-off leg.

The gold lifted the United States up to second on the medal table with three gold and a total of 11 medals.

Hosts China remain firmly on top in the bid to claim global sports supremacy winning six of the 25 finals held in the Games so far.

Phelps, who began his unprecedented eight-gold quest on Sunday with a world record win in the 400m individual medley, was in action twice Monday morning.

He qualified fourth fastest in the men's 200m freestyle semi-finals but appeared to be racing within himself just an hour before the relay final.

Beijing's unique swimming venue continued to churn out world records with a further four set in the morning session Monday.

In addition to the two set in the men's relay, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima regained the 100m breaststroke world record he lost four years ago when he swam what he termed the "perfect" race to defend his Olymnpic gold in 58.91sec.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe surprised herself when she broke the world 100m backstroke record in her semi-final setting a new mark of 58.77 sec ahead of Tuesday's final.

"I didn't go in planning to break the world record. I'm very excited, it was a great swim, she said.

Also in the water, British teen sensation Tom Daley was to make his Olympic debut Monday with the 14-year-old teaming up with 26-year-old Blake Aldridge in the synchronised 10m dive.

"It's kind of weird because when you are little, you dream of being famous, it's weird to become that person, you don't expect it to happen to you," said the boy who is attracting huge interest in Beijing where diving is a popular sport.

China's Lin Yue and Huo Liang are expected to win the men's dive to follow the success of their compatriots Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia in the women's three-metre event.

After a rain disrupted opening day, tennis was to resume in more clement weather Monday but with depleted ranks after top seed Ana Ivanovic joined the growing list of withdrawals.

Ivanovic, complaining of a sore thumb joined Maria Sharapova, Tatiana Golovin, Amelie Mauresmo and Lindsary Davenport on the women's singles sidelines.

Further scandal hit Indian weightlifting when Olympic officials said doping charges Monika Devi had been dropped, but it was too late to get her back into the Games.

Devi had been withdrawn last Tuesday, hours before she was due to board a flight Beijing, after the state-run Sports Authority of India said she had tested positive for an unnamed steroid.

The Indian Weightlifting Federation backed Devi and cleared her of the charge, but the sport's world governing body said it was not possible to grant her a late entry to Beijing.

Indian weightlifters have just emerged from a year-long ban after a series of drug-related scandals between 2002 and 2006.

In all, there are 13 golds on offer Monday with medals also due to be awarded in archery, fencing, shooting and weightlifting.