Swimming: Speed freaks blitz records

By PETER JESSUP and NZPA

The amazing feats continued in the Sydney pool last night with two more world records including another Ian Thorpe special effort to carry the Australian relay team home in the 4x200m freestyle.

The others weren't in it after Thorpe's first leg. Michael Klim had four body lengths on the field when he started and Todd Pearson and William Kirby came home easily to slash the record by 1.74s.

The fans erupted. "The crowd out there, it's just so awesome," Kirby said as the venue filled to the old standard Land Down Under by Men At Work. That's all this was for these guys - work, another day at the office.



The United States finished nearly 6s adrift, the Netherlands pulled to third by Pieter van den Hoogenband, whose 1m 44.88s was by far the fastest 200m by any of the 32 relay competitors.

Just an hour earlier he had slayed the 100m freestyle world record, proving his credentials for the final and sending a big warning to Russia's Alex Popov.

There was more glory for the Australians in the women's 200m free final, the crowd roaring to lift Susie O'Neill to gold in 1.58.24s, the 27-year-old veteran, nicknamed "Madame Butterfly," wide-eyed and soaking it all in like a kid. "Thank goodness that's over - what a relief," she said.

She didn't appreciate the noise, saying she'd closed her eyes and tried not to listen because it was putting her off.

She fronted again about 40 minutes later in the semifinals of her specialist event the 200m butterfly.

The United States scored through specialist butterflyer Tom Malchow who set a new Olympic record for the 200m of 1m55.35, shaving 0.21s off the existing mark.

Yana Klochova of the Ukraine had her second gold in the women's 200m medley.

New Zealand swimmer Elizabeth van Welie may have bowed out of Games last night, but she was thrilled to have set a national record and improved her world ranking to 15th.

Van Welie, aged 20, finished seventh in her 200m butterfly semifinal, clocking 2m 11.68s.

It was almost an exact replica of the morning's heats, when she carved 3.39s from her own New Zealand record, clocking 2m 11.62s.

Unlike the other New Zealand swimmers, there were no pre-Olympic nerves.

"I was thinking in the warm up, 'well I'm at the Olympics' but I haven't put it up there, so I haven't been overwhelmed by it."



Van Welie felt that she had swum to her limit in both races.

All this from a swimmer who failed to qualify for the Games, missing by an agonising .01 of a second.



Irrespective of the result, it was a special moment for Army Second Lieutenant Michael van Welie, who took leave from East Timor peacekeeping to see his little sister swim.

He watched as she stormed home to set the third New Zealand swimming record of the Games.

As children the pair swam together in Central Otago.

Elizabeth's determination to beat Michael laid the mental and physical base that took her all the way to the Olympic semifinals.

"He just said good luck to me ... he's brought me a present," said van Welie, whose other family members were also present.

"I'm glad they've come all this way and they're having a good time as well."