Swimming World Championships Ian Thorpe scooped his third gold medal in four days to stretch his record number of world titles to 11 when he anchored Australia to victory in the 4x200 metres freestyle relay in Barcelona yesterday.
Thorpe, who also won the 400 and 200 individual freestyle, took over just ahead of the Americans and pulled away from their final swimmer Klete Keller to bring Australia home in seven minutes 08.58 seconds.
Michael Phelps, who could rival Thorpe as the most prolific winner of the championships, claimed his first gold medal in his bid for four individual titles when he retained the 200 metres butterfly crown in rousing style.
But the 18-year-old American had to settle for silver in the relay despite edging out Grant Hackett, bronze medallist in the individual 200 freestyle event in the first leg. The US finished the best part of two seconds behind the Australians in 7.10.26.
James Gibson claimed Britain's first individual world championship gold medal for 28 years in the 50 metres breaststroke, while Alena Popchenko put Belarus on the winner's podium for the first time ever in the women's 200 freestyle.
Phelps, who broke his world record with a time of 1.53.93 in the 200 butterfly semi-finals, could not quite match that yesterday, though nobody could match him.
Phelps won by over a second from fast-finishing Takashi Yamamoto of Japan, clocking 1.54.35, the second-fastest time in history and inside the 1.54.58 old world mark.
Commonwealth champion Gibson, bronze medallist in Monday's 100 metres breaststroke, pulled ahead in the 50m near the end of a close race to win in 27.56 seconds from defending champion Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine.
Ireland's Andrew Bree failed to finish in the top 16 in the 200 metres breaststroke yesterday morning. The Tennessee-based Ulster man swam his second fastest time of the year, 2.15.23, in taking seventh in a high-quality heat nine, ranking 17th overall in his favoured event. Iceland's Jakob Sveinsson, who clocked 2.15.20, beat him to the last semi-final qualifying place.
In the previous heat, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima swam a new championship record in 2.10.66 to electrify the poolside. Bree was unfortunate in being drawn in lane one. He touched for sixth at 50m and halfway (1.05.20), but suffered in the final turns of a race won by Britain's Ian Edmond in 2.12.07, which qualified him second.
Lee Kelleher (21), had a slow second 100 metres to thank for failing to qualify from heat five of the 200 metres butterfly. Starting well in lane four, Kelleher touched for third at 50 metres (31.11), but fell back to fourth by the three-quarter mark and eventually to fifth at the finish (2.19.53).
The time was well outside the 2.15.00 she swam to qualify for the event, but the semi-final cut-off was 2.12.77, so just gaining the experience will aid the Cork girl's future. She ranked 33rd overall of 39 swimmers and goes in tomorrow's 50 metres butterfly, with compatriot Julie Douglas also entered.
MEN'S 200M BREASTSTROKE - Heat 9: (1) I Edmond (Brit) 2:12.07, (2) D Komornikov (Rus) 2:13.35, (3) M Brown (Can) 2:13.38, (7) A Bree (Irl) 2:15.23
WOMEN'S 200M BUTTERFLY - Heat 3: (1) A Loots (Rsa) 2:12.84, (2) G Gulenc (Tur) 2:17.66, (3) G Fagundez (Swe) 2:18.06, (5) L Kelleher (Irl) 2:19.53.
