YOKOHAMA (Japan), Aug 27: American Tom Malchow upset world record holder and teammate Michael Phelps in a gripping 200 metres butterfly final to lead a US charge for gold on the fourth night of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Tuesday.

Olympic champion Malchow nudged out Phelps by 0.2 seconds to headline a night where the Americans opened up a 12-8 break over Australia on the gold medal tally with two days’ swimming remaining.

In other finals, Jenny Thompson rolled back the years to beat the younger brigade in the 50m freestyle, Lindsay Benko completed a fight-back from a serious knee injury to take the 400m freestyle and Brendan Hansen won the men’s 200m breaststroke.

Australia picked up two gold medals through world champion Petria Thomas in the 200m butterfly and the Ian Thorpe-anchored 4x200m freestyle relay team over the United States.

Malchow was cleared to race and in a tremendous finish came with a surge in the final two laps to wear down the 17-year-old Phelps and win the final in a championship record time of one minute 55.21 seconds.

That was only 0.63 seconds outside Phelps’ world record set at last year’s Fukuoka world championships.

Phelps had been just outside world record pace at the halfway stage, but could not fight off Malchow in a tight finish. Phelps’ time was 1:55.41.

America’s most decorated swimmer Jenny Thompson won her 25th gold medal at the Pan Pacs with a hard-fought comeback victory.

The 29-year-old Thompson, who only returned to competitive swimming in June after an extended break after the 2000 Sydney Olympics, landed the 50m freestyle gold against younger competition.

She did it in style, clocking a personal best of 25.13 seconds to beat Australian Jodie Henry.

Benko, who broke her kneecap in a training camp prior to last year’s world championships, won the 400m freestyle in 1:58.74 from Australians, Elka Graham and Giaan Rooney.

Thomas completed four weeks of hard racing with victory in the 200m butterfly in 2:08.31 from Americans Mary Descenza and Emily Mason.

Results of finals: WOMEN’S:

200 metres freestyle: 1. Lindsay Benko (US) 1 minute 58.74 seconds; 2. Elka Graham (Australia) 1:59.72; 3. Giaan Rooney (Australia) 1:59.82; 4. Tomoko Hagiwara (Japan) 2:00.26.

50 metres freestyle: 1. Jenny Thompson (US) 25.13; 2. Jodie Henry (Australia) 25.32; 3. Tammie Stone (US) 25.42; 4. Alice Mills (Australia) 25.66.

200 metres butterfly: 1. Petria Thomas (Australia) 2:08.31; 2. Mary Descenza (US) 2:09.56; 3. Emily Mason (US) 2:10.59; 4. Felicity Galvez (Australia) 2:11.27.

MEN’S:

200 metres breaststroke: 1. Brendan Hansen (US) 2:11.80; 2. Jim Piper (Australia) 2:12.53; 3. Daisuke Kimura (Japan) 2:12.71; 4. Mike Brown (Canada) 2:12.87.

200 metres butterfly: 1. Thomas Malchow (US) 1:55.21; 2. Michael Phelps (US) 1:55.41; 3. Takashi Yamamoto (Japan) 1:55.57; 4. Takeshi Matsuda (Japan) 1:56.64.

4x200 metres freestyle relay: 1. Australia 7:09.00 (Grant Hackett, Craig Stevens, Jason Cram, Ian Thorpe); 2. United States 7:11.81 (Nate Dusing, Klete Keller, Michael Phelps, Chad Carvin); 3. Canada 7:17.30 (Richard Say, Michael Mintenko, Mark Johnston, Brian Johns); 4. Japan 7:22.32.—AFP/Reuters