SWIMMING CLOSES WITH MORE RECORDS
The tally of world records in the pool swelled to 15 in the last session of
finals in Sydney today as new global standards were established in both the
men's and women's medley relays.
The United States won both events to extend their lead at the top of the
medals table to 14 gold, 8 silver and 11 bronze, ahead of the five titles
each for Australia and the two swimmers from the Netherlands who have
dominated discussion at the pool in the past week, Pieter van den
Hoogenband and Inge de Bruijn.
After De Bruijn had blasted her way to a third gold medal and
Australians Grant Hackett and Kieren Perkins brought the roof down with a
1-2 finish in the 1,500 metres freestyle, the relays summed up why these
Games were not, as the saying would have it, just about the winning - they
were also very much to do with new standards on the clock.
The quartet of BJ Bedford, Megan Quann, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres
raced 3.37sec inside China's world record pace in the 4 x 100m
medley, their 3min 38.30sec 3.29sec ahead of Australia, whose 4min
01.59sec was also inside the time in which China had won the world title in
1994. Japan was third in 4:04.16sec, while British quartet of Katy Sexton,
Heidi Earp, Susan Rolph and Karen Pickering finished seventh.
Quann's breaststroke split of 1min 06.29sec and Thompson's
butterfly split of 57.25sec were the fastest ever.
In the men's race, Lenny Krayzelburg, winner of both the 100 and 200
metres titles in Sydney, put the United States in the lead position that it
would maintain throughout the race. Ed Moses was the key to the world
record, his breaststroke split of 59.84sec marking the first time that
anyone has gone under 1 minute.
Ian Crocker and Gary Hall Jnr brought the quartet home in 3min
33.73sec, 1.09sec inside the time in which the US had won the Olympic title
four years ago in Atlanta.
Australia were runner-up, on 3:35.27, with Germany third on 3:35.88.
The British quartet of Neil Willey, Darren Mew, James Hickman and Sion
Brinn finished last in the final in 3min 40.19sec.
By the close of the swimming events today, 38 Olympic records had been
estbalished, reflecting the enormity of progress made in global standards
in almost every event.
The United States kept its supremacy of the pool, while Australia kept
its head high with 18 medals. Eighteen nations graced the medals table, but
Britain was not among them. the national shoal will be the first to return
home empty handed since 1936.
Australia celebrated its success with a lap of honour for the whole team
round the deck. Kieren Perkins and Susan O'Neill were carried aloft the
shoulders of their team-mates for a lap of honour and a message thanking
them for their maginificent contributions to Australian sport for so many
years was beamed on to the scoreboard.
CRAIG LORD
Sunday Times
