ATHENS, Aug 19: Michael Phelps won his fourth gold medal of the Athens Games on Thursday with a storming triumph in the 200m individual medley final.

The US swimmer posted the fifth-fastest time in history, an Olympic record of 1min 57.14sec, to add the crown to his titles in the 400m medley, 200m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay.

The 19-year-old had little time to savour his achievement - after the victory ceremony he was scheduled to contest the semifinals of the 100m butterfly. -AFP