American Michael Phelps won the men's 100m butterfly gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Saturday.[Xinhua/Wang Dingchang]

Phelps took off from lane five after qualifying second fastest in the heats. He was about half a body length behind Cavic in the first lap, and was the seventh to touch wall in the first 50 meters.

He lunged ahead in the last 50 to snag his seventh gold medal at the Beijing Games.

World record holder Ian Crocker finished the fourth in 51.13 seconds.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)