BEIJING - The swimming record book will need some heavy revisions by the time the Beijing Olympics are over.

Michael Phelps is 2-for-2 in his hunt for eight gold medals as the Americans set the world record in the 4x100m relay (3:08.24), edging out France in the final leg.

Two more world marks fell Monday morning when Kosuke Kitajima of Japan finished off American Brendan Hansen's hopes of an individual medal, winning the 100 breaststroke in 58.91 seconds. Kitajima pounded the water defiantly and let out a scream after breaking Hansen's 2-year-old record of 59.13.

Hansen was left without a medal, fading to fourth behind silver medalist Alexander Dale Oen of Norway and Hugues Duboscq of France, who took bronze.

Kirsty Coventry didn't even bother waiting until a final to set a record in the 100 backstroke.

The Zimbabwean won her semifinal heat in 58.77, taking down Natalie Coughlin's mark of 58.97 set at the U.S. trials last month.

They'll go head to head in Tuesday morning's final. Coughlin won her heat in 59.43 with a nice, comfortable swim.

Five world records had been set through the first three days at the Water Cube.

Phelps took care of another little matter in the 200 free, moving on to the final with the fourth-fastest time of the semis. Trying to save as much energy as possible for the leadoff leg of the relay, the American touched in 1:46.28 to finish behind teammate Peter Vanderkaay (1:45.76) and South Korea's Park Tae-hwan (1:45.99).

Jean Basson of South Africa also went faster in the other heat, winning in 1:46.13.

“I wanted to go 1:45, and if it weren't for that messed-up finish I would have done it,” Phelps said, hustling off to get ready for the big race. “I just wanted to save as much energy as possible for the relay.”

Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak were joining Phelps on the relay team, facing the enormous pressure of trying to help him get the second of eight gold medals. The French counter with a powerful team that includes world record holder Alain Bernard on the anchor leg.

While Hansen still has a swim left in the medley relay, he'll go down as one of the major disappointments of the American team. A one-time world record holder in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, he didn't even qualify for the Olympics in the longer race.