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Monday, July 23, 2001 - Web posted at 14:38:21 GMT Thorpe sets another world record FUKUOKA - Ian Thorpe continued where he left off at last year's Sydney Olympics, breaking his own world record to successfully defend his 400 metres freestyle title at the swimming world championships yesterday. Thorpe also anchored the Australian relay team to victory in the men's 4x100m freestyle final while Ukraine's Yana Klochkova won the women's 400m individual medley in a repeat of the first night at the Olympics. Thorpe, 18, won the 400m in a sizzling three minutes 40,17 seconds, shaving 0,42 off the mark he set to win gold in Sydney and taking his 14th individual world record. The 18-year-old Australian had been more than one-and-a-half seconds outside his world record split at the halfway point but his acceleration carried him past his team mate Grant Hackett and to another major title. Hackett, beaten to the gold by Thorpe in the last world championships in Perth in 1998, had to settle for silver again, clocking 3:42.51. European champion Emiliano Brembilla snatched the bronze in 3:45.11, edging out Olympic silver medallist and fellow Italian Massimiliano Rosolino, who finished in 3:45.41. Just as he did at the Olympics, Thorpe returned to the pool within half an hour of his race to anchor the Australian relay to gold. The Australian quartet of Michael Klim, Ashley Callus, Todd Pearson and Thorpe did not break the world record they set in Sydney but still proved too strong for their opposition, winning in a combined time of 3:14.10. Dual Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband anchored the Netherlands to silver in 3:14.56 while Germany took the bronze in 3:17.52 when the U.S. were disqualified after touching in third. - Nampa-Reuters |
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