RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Thiago Pereira of Brazil broke the 40-year-old record of Mark Spitz for most swimming gold medals at a single Pan American Games by winning the 200-meter breaststroke for his sixth gold on Saturday.
Brazil also added golds in women's handball and beach volleyball, but the host was eliminated in men's soccer, along with defending champion Argentina.
The United States finished the eighth day with 51 gold medals, 25 more than Cuba and 31 more than third-place Brazil.
Pereira finished his race in 2 minutes, 13.51 seconds, beating teammate Henrique Barbosa (2:13.83) and Scott Spann (2.13.98) of the United States at the packed Maria Lank aquatic complex.
Spitz won five golds at the 1967 Pan Ams in Winnipeg. He still holds the record of seven Olympic golds won at the 1972 Munich Games.
"I'm very happy with this record of six gold medals, but the competition isn't over yet," the 21-year-old Pereira said.
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| Brazilian Thiago Pereira makes Pan Am Games history by winning the 200-meter breaststroke for his sixth gold. (Getty Images) |
"I won't say that it's mission accomplished until after I'm done with Sunday's final," Pereira said. "I'm beginning to feel tired from all the swimming this week, but I need to keep my focus."
Pereira surpassed Fernando Scherer as the Brazilian with most golds at a single Pan Ams on Friday, when he won in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay.
Spann's bronze made him the third member of his family to medal in a Pan American Games. His sister won gold in 2003, while his father won a bronze in 1979.
Another Brazilian winner on Saturday was Kaio Marcio. He broke the Pan Ams record in the men's 200 butterfly in 1:55.45 to win his second gold. He won the 100 butterfly earlier in the week.
Seventeen-year-old Kathleen Hersey of the United States clinched her third gold by breaking the Pan Ams record in the 200 butterfly in 2:07.64. Hersey had already won the 100 butterfly and 400 medley.
"I hope to be even better in Beijing," she said looking ahead to next year's Olympics.
