It’s Phelps, in a photo finish, for the seventh gold medal

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The International Olympic Committee and Omega, its official timekeeper, on Saturday released a series of digital photos that documented last week’s 100-meter butterfly finish at the Water Cube.

Take a look (a larger image is available by clicking on ‘read more’) and make up your own mind whether U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps beat out Serbia’s Milorad Cavic on Aug. 16 for the gold medal.

Omega timer Silvio Chianese on Saturday maintained that the touchpad and photos both have Phelps touching out Cavic.

“In the third set of images, with Phelps on the left, it is clear he is really pushing hard, while Cavic, on the right, is just arriving,” Chianese told the Associated Press.

Last week’s victory gave Phelps his seventh gold medal of the Games, tying him with Mark Spitz for most golds in a single Olympics. A day later, Phelps won his eighth gold as a member of the United States’ 400 medley relay squad.

Phelps was clocked at 50.58 seconds. Cavic finished at 50.59.

-- Greg Johnson