Thorpe sets Olympic record in 200m freestyle

Sydney: Ian Thorpe pursued his record-breaking ways on Sunday when he set an Olympic best in the heats of the 200 metres freestyle.

Thorpe, who collected his first two Olympic gold medals on Saturday on one of the greatest nights in swimming history when five world records fell, clocked one minute 46.56 seconds to beat the 1:46.70 Olympic mark set by Russian Yevgeny Sadovy at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The 17-year-old Australian, whose 200 metres world record stands at 1:45.51, broke his own 400 metres freestyle world record on Saturday after posting an Olympic record in the heats.

He shared a second world record when he anchored Australia's 4x100 metres freestyle relay squad to a sensational victory over the United States, who had never lost an Olympic or world championship final in the event.

Dutchman Pieter Van Den Hoogenband came within 0.01 seconds of the Olympic 200 freestyle record in the heat preceding Thorpe's when he scored a runaway victory in 1:46.71.

Reuters



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