August 24, 2007	Friday	Sha’aban 10, 1428

NARASHINO (Japan), Aug 23: World record holders Grant Hackett and Leisel Jones coasted to victory to help Australia win five more gold medals at the International Swim Meet on Thursday.

Athens Olympic champion Hackett, the 800-metre and 1500m record holder, defeated Mateusz Sawrymowicz of Poland and Park Tae-Hwan of South Korea to win the men’s 1,500m freestyle in 14 minutes 48.70 seconds.

Sawrymowicz, who wrested the world title from Hackett at the world championships in March, clocked 14:50.72 and Park, the triple Asian Games gold medallist, hit 14:58.43.

Jones, the 100 and 200m breaststroke world record holder, timed 2:21.45 to win the women’s 200m here, beating American Rebecca Soni into second in 2:23.36 and Japan’s Nanaka Tamura in 2:25.05.

The Australians, who won eight gold medals on the first two days, continued to dominate in the pool adding five more on Thursday with world title holder Libby Lenton taking the women’s 100m butterfly in 57.88.

Team-mates Kenrick Monk and Bronte Barratt won the men’s and women’s 200m freestyle in 1:47.25 and 1:57.92 respectively.

Athens Olympic dual gold medallist and former world record holder Kosuke Kitajima was not hampered by a thigh injury as he swam faster than world record pace until the last quarter of the men’s 200m breaststroke.

Japan’s Kitajima, the winner of the 100m this week, slowed down in the last 20 metres to finish in 2:10.02, beating Britain’s Krist Gilchrist, who timed 2:10.32, and Vladislav Polyakov of Kazakhstan, who timed 2:12.29.

“Everybody expects me to win all the time. I’m glad that I lived up to their expectations despite the injury,” said Kitajima.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was another who came close to a new world record when she clocked 2:06.83, only 0.21 of a second short of the current world record, to win the women’s 200m backstroke.

Elizabeth Simmonds of Britain came in second in 2:09.52 and world and Olympic bronze medallist Reiko Nakamura of Japan was third in 2:09.91.

The final title was won by up-and-coming Ryosuke Irie of Japan who clocked 1:57.30 to win the men’s 200m backstroke, beating his compatriot Tomomi Morita and Gregor Tait of Britain.

Leading results:

Men’s:

200m freestyle: 1. Kenrick Monk (AUS) 1min 47.25sec; 2. Zhang Enjian (CHN) 1:48.48; 3. Pawel Korzeniowski (POL) 1:48.51.

1,500m freestyle: 1. Grant Hackett (AUS) 14:48.70; 2. Mateusz Sawrymowicz (POL) 14:50.72; 3. Park Tae-Hwan (KOR) 14:58.43.

200m backstroke: 1. Ryosuke Irie (JPN) 1:57.30; 2. Tomomi Morita (JPN) 1:58.32; 3. Gregor Tait (GBR) 1:58.86.

200m breaststroke: 1. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) 2:10.02; 2. Krist Gilchrist (GBR) 2:10.32; 3. Vladislav Polyakov (KAZ) 2:12.29.

Women’s:

200m freestyle: 1. Bronte Barratt (AUS) 1:57.92; 2. Cait McClatchey (GBR) 1:58.28; 3. Josefin Lillhage (SWE) 1:58.59.

200m backstroke: 1. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:06.83; 2. Elizabeth Simmonds (GBR) 2:09.52; 3. Reiko Nakamura (JPN) 2:09.91.

200m breaststroke: 1. Leisel Jones (AUS) 2:21.45; 2. Rebecca Soni (USA) 2:23.36; 3. Nanaka Tamura (JPN) 2:25.05.

100m butterfly: 1. Lisbeth Lenton (AUS) 57.88; 2. Rachel Komisarz (USA) 58.11; 3. Jessicah Schipper (AUS) 58.36.—AFP

Medals table

(Tabulated under gold, silver, bronze, total):

Australia 13 6 2 21

Poland 2 3 3 8

Zimbabwe 3 0 0 3

Japan 3 5 4 12

Britain 1 4 2 7

South Korea 1 0 1 2

South Africa 1 0 0 1

US 0 4 4 8

China 0 2 5 7

Canada 0 0 1 1

Sweden 0 0 1 1

Kazakhstan 0 0 1 1