Olympic swimming:Chinese teenager Ye Shiwen survived a late challenge from Alicia Coutts to win the 200 metres individual medley final tonight and collect her second gold medal at London 2012.
The 16-year-old followed up her incredible win in the 400 medley three days earlier with another impressive display of power and perfect technique, but this time she had to work much harder.
She was third when they turned for home but overhauled her rivals to win the multi-discipline event in two minutes, 7.57 seconds. Coutts, who won a relay gold for Australia on Saturday took second place, just ahead of America's Caitlin Leverenz.
Stephanie Rice, the gold medallist in Beijing four years ago was fourth while world record holder Ariana Kukors was fifth.
Ye won the Asian championship as a 14-year-old in 2010, then added the world title last year but her performances in London, where millions of people around the world are seeing her compete for their first time, have triggered thinly-veiled accusations of doping by the Chinese.
Ye has denied any wrongdoing and Olympic officials have hinted her test results from the 400 came up clean.
"We would only comment if we had any adverse finding," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said earlier. "I am not commenting, so you can draw your own conclusions."
The mood in Ye's camp is one of frustration and Xu Qi, head of the Chinese swimming team, has called on those suggesting wrongdoing to put up or shut up.
"Ye Shiwen has been seen as a genius since she was young, and her performance vindicates that," he told the state news agency Xinhua."If there are suspicions, then please lay them out using facts and data. Don't use your own suspicions to knock down others. This shows lack of respect for athletes and for Chinese swimming."
Allison Schmitt of the United States won the women's 200 metres freestyle final. The American, who trains in Baltimore with Michael Phelps, stormed to the front on the second of four laps and was unchallenged as she won the gold in a time of one minute 53.61 seconds.
Frenchwoman Camille Muffat, who just held off Schmitt to win the 400 final on Sunday, took silver in a time of 1:55.58. Australia's Bronte Barratt, a relay gold medallist in Beijing four years ago and the fastest qualifier for the final, finished third in 1:55.81, just edging out Missy Franklin for the bronze.
The 17-year-old from Colorado won the 100 backstroke gold the previous night and also picked up a relay bronze on Saturday but missed out on another medal by just 0.01 seconds.