On this day at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, a 19-year-old Rebecca Adlington broke one of the oldest world records in the pool to win the 800m freestyle – her second gold of the meet having won the 400 free earlier – to become Great Britain’s most successful swimmer in 100 years.
Adlington touched the wall first in 8:14.10, shaving 2.12 seconds off of Janet Evans’ world record which had stood for nearly 19 years. Sitting in the stands of the Water Cube in Beijing, Evans found a kindred spirit in Adlington as she looked down on the British teenager breaking a long-lasting world record, and then congratulated her.
Memorable events on this day…
1981: New Zealand thrash Fiji 13-0 in a World Cup qualifer.
1987: The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 23-10 to set a new franchise record in MLB.
2008: Jamaican star Usain Bolt sets a new world record for the 100m dash at the 2008 Olympics by crossing the finish line in 9.69s.
2009: Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry equals the then-highest score in ODIs, scoring an unbeaten 194 off 154 balls against Bangladesh in a losing effort..
