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| Sunday, July 22 Updated: July 23, 8:19 AM ET |
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| Thorpe grabs two golds at world championships Associated Press | |||
FUKUOKA, Japan -- Ian Thorpe started the world swimming
championships on Sunday by breaking one of the three world records
he holds, coming from behind for victory in the 400-meter
freestyle.
Immediately after collecting the gold, the "Thorpedo" anchored
an Australian victory in the 400-meter freestyle relay.
The United States, which had won this relay in all eight
previous world championships, finished third, then was disqualified
for using a different No. 3 swimmer than listed on the official
pre-race entry.
The night's work gave Thorpe two of the seven golds he hopes to
win at these championships. The 18-year-old Australian also holds
the world records at 200 and 800 meters, and plans to swim in the
100 as well as two more relays.
Thorpe trailed fellow Australian Grant Hackett at the 150-meter
turn before gradually pulling away in the individual 400.
Despite being 0.92 off his world-record pace at 350 meters, he
slashed 0.42 seconds off the old mark, finishing in 3 minutes,
40.17 seconds. He had set the old mark of 3:40.59 in winning one of
three Olympic gold medals last year.
"This is a really great result for me," Thorpe said. "The 400
is my favorite and this gives me good motivation."
Hackett repeated as silver medalist, finishing in 3:42.51.
Emiliano Brambilla edged fellow Italian Massimiliano Rosolino, the
Olympic silver medalist, 3:45.11 to 3:45.41 for the bronze.
The Australian 400 freestyle relay quartet, anchored by Thorpe,
also had won Olympic gold in world-record time. This time, it
pulled away from the Americans after 50 meters, winning in a
championship-record 3:14.10.
The Netherlands, anchored by double Olympic gold medalist Pieter
Van Den Hoogenband, finished second at 3:14.56. The Americans
finished in 3:15.29, but their disqualification gave the bronze to
Germany, which was clocked in 3:17.52.
In a mixup, the Americans submitted the name of Greg Busse as
the No. 3 swimmer, but Nate Dusing swam instead.
Ukraine's Yana Klochkova repeated her Olympic victory in the
women's 400-meter individual medley, but couldn't beat the world
mark of 4:33.59 she set in Sydney.
Klochkova won in 4:36.98. American Martha Bowen took silver in
4:39.06 and Romania's Beatrice Nicoleta Caslaru won bronze in
4:39.33.
Only three swimming gold medals were decided Sunday.
In semifinals, Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin led the way
into Monday's finals with a championship-record 22.05 seconds in
the men's 50 freestyle. Van den Hoogenband, Olympic winner at 100
and 200, was next fastest in 22.14.
Another American, Randall Bal, was the fastest semifinalist in
the men's 100 backstroke, with 54.93 to 55.21 for Iceland's Orn
Arnarson and 55.22 for Austria's Markujs Rogan.
In the women's 100-meter breaststroke, Americans Megan Quann,
the Olympic champion, and Kristy Kowal reached the finals with the
sixth and seventh fastest times.
Quann's 1:09.32 was well behind the championship-record 1:07.48
of China's Luo Xuejuan, who was followed by Hungary's defending
world champion Agnes Kovacs in 1:08.02 and Olympic silver medalist
Leisel Jones of Australia in 1:08.58.
China swept the first two diving gold medals, both in
synchronized events. Sang Xue, part of the Olympic gold medal pair,
and Duan Qing won the women's 10-meter platform and the men's pair
of Peng Bo and Wang Kenan won on the 3-meter springboard.
At the Olympics, China won five of the eight gold medals.
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ALSO SEE Thorpe fastest in heats for 800 meters Moussambani makes mark at swimming worlds | |
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