Ian Thorpe of Australia today set a world record of one
minute 44.06 seconds to win the men's 200 metresfreestyle title at the world championships in Fukuoka,Japan.
Thorpe, 18, chopped 0.63 seconds off the previous record of 1:44.69 he set at the Australian nationalchampionships in Hobart in March.
Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands was second in 1:45.81. American Klete Keller took the bronze in1:47.81.
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Earlier Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn eased to arunaway win in the women's 100 metres freestyle final.