Music: {allcanada} MCGREGOR, WOMEN'S RELAY TEAM WIN GOLD MEDALS IN INDIANAPOLIS

Friday, March 4, 2011

{allcanada} MCGREGOR, WOMEN'S RELAY TEAM WIN GOLD MEDALS IN INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ashley McGregor of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Canada's women's 4x200 freestyle relay won gold medals on Friday at the Indianapolis Grand Prix swimming competition.

In the women's 200-metre breaststroke, McGregor took the lead on the last length and won in two minutes 30.96 seconds. Emma Schoettmer of the United States was second in 2:31.40 and Raminta Dvariskyte of Lithuania third in 2:32.10.

Fiona Doyle of Calgary, who led after the first three splits, was fourth in 2:32.14 with Rachel Nicol of Langley, B.C., fifth in 2:32.97.

In the women's 4x200 freestyle relay, the team of Victoria Chan of Richmond Hill, Ont., Lindsay Delmar of Calgary, Jacqueline Keire Toronto and Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg took the gold medal in 8:20.21.

Lauren Earp of Toronto, Amanda Reason of Windsor, Ont., Chantique Payne of Guelph, Ont., and Zsofi Balazs of Toronto finished second in 8:21.70. Mexico was third.

Canadian teams have collected five of the six women's relay medals so far at the competition.

Audrey Lacroix of Montreal added a silver in the 200 butterfly clocking 2:10.06. Olympian Elaine Breeden won in 2:08.60, the second-best time in the world this year.

Other Canadian finalists were Victoria Poon and Van Landeghem, fourth and sixth in the 50 freestyle, Katy Murdoch of Calgary, Brittany MacLean of Etobicoke, Ont., and Gabrielle Soucisse of Montreal fifth, sixth and seventh in the 100 backstroke and Barbara Jardin of Montreal sixth in the 400 freestyle. Canadian finalists on the men's side included Matt Hawes of Ottawa and Tobias Oriwol of Toronto, sixth and eighth in the 100 backstroke.

American star Michael Phelps won his third gold medal of the event as he took the early lead in the 200-metre butterfly and held off Brazil's Kaio Almeida.

The 14-time Olympic gold medallist and world record-holder in the event finished in one minute 55.34 seconds. Almeida was second in 1:55.85 and Wu Peng of China was third in 1:57.86.

Phelps won the 200 free and 100 fly on Thursday night and is scheduled to compete in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle on Saturday. The 200 fly was the only event this weekend that Phelps and Ryan Lochte, the world's best swimmer last year, were not going head-to-head.