August 30, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-us-Saani 20, 1423

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YOKOHAMA (Japan), Aug 29: A world record by the United States in the men’s 4x100m medley relay crowned a magnificent meet for the Stars and Stripes on the final night of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships here Thursday.

The US team of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps and Jason Lezak swam a new record of three minutes 33.48 seconds to shatter the previous 3:33.73 mark set at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

It was a fitting way for the United States to round off their dominance in the pool over rivals Australia, who beat the US on the gold medal tally at last year’s Fukuoka world championships.

The United States ended the six-day Yokohama meet with 21 gold medals to Australia’s 11, and won five of the closing night’s seven finals.

Natalie Coughlin set an American record in the women’s 100m freestyle, Michael Phelps took the 200m individual medley, Ian Crocker claimed the 100m butterfly and Margaret Hoelzer won the 200m backstroke.

The Australians had two successes on the last night with Grant Hackett posting the second-fastest 1,500m freestyle time in history, and the team coming from behind to overhaul their US rivals in the women’s 4x100 medley relay.

But the sensational US men’s medley relay record was a highlight.

The decisive break in the relay race came when breaststroker Hansen gained over a second on Australian Jim Piper in the second leg and then Phelps produced a sizzling 51.13 in the butterfly to hand Lezak a big lead to fight off Thorpe in the final freestyle leg.

Lezak went 48.04 while Thorpe, straining every muscle, pulled out a withering 47.20 but it was not enough to rein in the American anchor.

The US dominance in Yokohama augurs well for their chances of finishing as the top nation at next year’s Barcelona world championships.

Australia’s Hackett, the Olympic and world champion, won the 1,500m in 14:41.65 seconds and remains unbeaten in the 30-lap event since 1997.

He now owns the two fastest 1,500m times in history after Thursday getting under compatriot Kieren Perkins’ old world record (14:41.66) by one-hundredth of a second.

He broke Perkins’ world record with a swim of 14:34.56 at last year’s Fukuoka world championships.

It was Hackett’s 10th international gold medal this year following campaigns in the world shortcourse, Commonwealth Games and the Panpacs.

American Coughlin clocked 53.99 in the women’s 100m freestyle just outside the world mark of 53.77 set by Inge de Bruin of the Netherlands at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but she bettered the US record previously held by Jenny Thompson of 54.07.

Results of finals:

WOMEN’S:

100 metres freestyle: 1. Natalie Coughlin (US) 53.99 seconds; 2. Jodie Henry (Australia) 54.55; 3. Jenny Thompson (US) 54.75; 4. Tomoko Nagai (Japan) 55.64; 5. Sarah Ryan (Australia) 55.78; 6. Laura Nicholls (Canada) 56.41; 7. Kaori Yamada (Japan) 56.56; 8. Alison Fitch (New Zealand) 56.91.

200 metres backstroke: 1. Margaret Hoelzer (US) 2:11.00; 2. Aya Terakawa (Japan) 2:12.28; 3. Jennifer Fratesi (Canada) 2:12.71; 4. Diana MacManus (US) 2:14.01; 5. Elizabeth Warden (Canada) 2:14.15; 6. Clementine Stoney (Australia) 2:14.37; 7. Hannah McLean (New Zealand) 2:14.74; 8. Melissa Morgan (Australia) 2:16.36

4x100 metres medley relay: 1. Australia 4:00.50 (Dyana Calum, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry); 2. United States 4:01.15 (Natalie Coughlin, Amanda Beard, Jenny Thompson, Lindsay Benko); 3. Canada 4:05.69 (Erin Gammel, Rhiannon Leier, Jennifer Button, Laura Nicholls); 4. Japan 4:06.91; 5. New Zealand 4:16.97; 6. Hong Kong 4:22.25; Singapore did not start.

MEN’S:

100 metres butterfly: 1. Ian Crocker (US) 52.45 seconds; 2. Geoff Huegill (Australia) 52.48; 3. Michael Mintenko (Canada) 52.69; 4. Takashi Yamamoto (Japan) 52.88; 5. Adam Pine (Australia) 52.97; 6. Thomas Hannan (US) 53.00; 7. Kohei Kawamoto (Japan) 53.79; 8. Hao Jin (China) 54.43.

1,500 metres freestyle: 1. Grant Hackett (Australia) 14:41.65; 2. Erik Vendt (US) 15:02.24; 3. Larsen Jensen (US) 15:05.17; 4. Craig Stevens (Australia) 15:20.76; 5. Shunichi Fujita (Japan) 15:21.19; 6. Kurtis MacGillivary (Canada) 15:36.12; 7. Bruno Bonfim (Brazil) 15:41.80; 8. Takeshi Matsuda (Japan) 15:53.75.

200 metres individual medley: 1. Michael Phelps (US) 1:59.70; 2. Takahiro Mori (Japan) 2:00.61; 3. Thomas Wilkens (US) 2:01.17; 4. Brian Johns (Canada) 2:01.25; 5. Jiro Miki (Japan) 2:01.67; 6. Dean Kent (New Zealand) 2:02.88; 7. Justin Norris (Australia) 2:03.03; 8. Robert Van Der Zant (Australia) 2:04.91.

4x100 metres medley relay: 1. United States 3:33.48 — world record (Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak); 2. Australia 3:34.84 (Matthew Welsh, Jim Piper, Geoff Huegill, Ian Thorpe); 3. Canada 3:38.17 (Riley Janes, Mike Brown, Michael Mintenko, Brent Hayden); 4. Japan 3:39.06; 5. Brazil 3:48.00; 6. New Zealand 3:49.53; Hong Kong and Singapore did not start.—AFP/Reuters