Swimming: Competitors produce their masterstrokes

By PETER JESSUP

Ian Thorpe has proved his greatness.

Gold in the 400m freestyle in world record time and a swim that lifted the Australian 100m relay team to success on a night that will go down in swimming history, will bring him world record riches for a swimmer.

Everyone at the pool for the opening night of Olympic swimming were blown away by Thorpe's prowess.

The crowd of 17,500 was in rapture.

Coaches predicted he will reset the bar in international swimming and that more records will follow the five set on opening night.

The buoyant wonder stands to earn around $A10 million in the next 12 months - the golden haul confirming his value - and the swimmer and his manager are ready to sign a range of deals.

Expect to see the Ian Thorpe mobile phone extras from Telstra, the Ian Thorpe clothing range from adidas, the Ian Thorpe Omega watch, for a start.

But after racing, money is the last thing on his mind.

"I hadn't thought about that until you brought it up," he said. "No matter how much you have you can't buy what I got tonight.

"If money is what inspires you you'll never get success out of sport. I swim because I like it," said the highest-earning 17-year-old around.

Thorpe has a maturity beyond his years. Although he was obviously pleased with his golds, singling out the team effort as the most satisfying, then saying he would have trouble sleeping, he remains remarkably level-headed.

"Every time I go in the pool I hope to get the best out of myself. All my preparation allows me to get the results. Being focused, reaching my goals, I'm able to get the results I deserve."

Which was 3m 40.59s for the 400m.

Thorpe skipped the Olympics opening ceremony, heading to bed at 9pm on Friday, as he had done all week.

When he walked into the pool just down the road from his Milperra home on Saturday evening he was blown away by the crowd response.

"I walked out there relaxed, but it was an amazing thing, like the gladiators had walked into the coliseum."

It did not start well for the Australians.

Jennifer Reilly was last in a 400m individual medley in which Ukrainian Yana Klochova broke the first of four records that night.

Klochkova, who led throughout the final, won in 4:33.59, clipping 1.20s off the mark set by China's Chen Yan three years ago. Chen failed to qualify for the final.

But Thorpe just slayed his field in the 400m freestyle. The only swimmer in a full body suit, he ploughed through the water in a fashion that had the other finalists intimidated from the start.

His height and size 17 feet gave him an advantage, but his power is such that he stroked slower than anyone in the field, 14 and a half for the first laps and 15 and a half in the home stretch when others were hitting 20.

Silver medallist Massimiliano Rosolino of Italy admitted he had gone into the race telling himself not to think about Thorpe, "because I knew he was a step ahead.

"Halfway through I was up with him and I really enjoyed that bit and I'm really, really happy now."

Rosolino's time was down nearly three seconds at 3m43.40s.

"[Thorpe] was born to swim," he said in admiration.

American Gary Hall, who was embroiled in a war of words with the Aussies in the buildup after declaring the Americans would "smash them like guitars," swam the last leg of the relay against Thorpe just 40 minutes after the Australian had won the 400m.

While Hall was preparing for his only race, Thorpe was swimming his warm-down, changing, receiving his medal, and had 10 minutes to get back into his fast skin suit for the start of the relay.

"Four people helped and it took 10 minutes. It was nerve-racking and I had to calm everything."

Michael Klim went out first for the Australians, and set a world mark in the 100m. But the Americans clawed back against Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus, and Hall was ahead of Thorpe for the first 50m of their last leg.

But Thorpe mowed him down mercilessly, catching up, psyching Hall out by matching him up the middle of the lap and in the last 15m pushing ahead by millimetres that also dragged the Americans through the old world mark.

"The last part of the race is an absolute blur to me," Thorpe said.

But an incredibly loud crowd had lifted him and he hoped he would lift the team to glory.

"The last 50m was rather painful," Hall said. "I took it out as hard as I could and I doff my swim cap to the great Ian Thorpe."

He said he could not tell whether the word war had a firing-up effect or a negative influence on the team, but said there were no tough words afterwards and no feelings were hurt, not even when the Australians strummed imaginary guitars in reference to his remark.

Hall said breaking records was psychological.

Many had been broken at the Pan Pacific championships, also held at the Homebush aquatic centre, and swimmers believed they could do well there.

It was one each in the relays when the American women broke the world 4 x 100m relay.

Jenny Thompson became the most-decorated American Olympian and most decorated swimmer in US history with her ninth medal, all in relays. "This is our arena," she said. "We don't have all the pro-sports the boys do."

The well-preserved Dara Torres became the oldest swimmer to win gold at age 33. "It shows you shouldn't put age limits on your dreams and that you don't have to be a teenager to win a gold medal," she said.

But there's one teenager you wouldn't bet against.