BARCELONA, July 23: Ian Thorpe remained on course to match his record six gold medals at the last world championships when he led Australia to their third straight 4x200 metres world relay gold here on Wednesday.

It was also the third gold medal here and 11th overall for the 20-year-old after the Olympic and two-time defending champions timed 7:08.58 to push the United States into second spot in 7:10.26 with Germany taking the bronze in 7:14.02.

Thorpe’s dream of going one better than last time came unstuck early in the championships when the Australians lost their 4x100 metres freestyle title.

But the 20-year-old went on to successfully defend his 200 metres and 400 metres freestyle titles and kept his bid to win the 100 metres freestyle for the first time on course by achieving his best time ever 48.71 in the semifinals.

He had the third fastest time going into Thursday’s final behind reigning Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands

and two-time Olympic title-holder Alexander Popov of Russia.

Earlier James Gibson gave Britain their first individual gold medal in almost 30 years when he claimed the men’s 50 metres breaststroke title.

The 23-year-old Commonwealth champion clocked 27.56 seconds to come in ahead of defending champion and world record holder Oleg Lisogor

of the Ukraine, who timed 27.74, with bronze going to Mihaly Flaskay of Hungary in 27.79.

Gibson, winner of the 100 metres breaststroke bronze earlier in the week, gave Britain their first individual world title since David Wilkie completed a breaststroke double in 1975.

Defending champion Michael Phelps of the United States held his 200 metres butterfly title.

The 18-year-old, who broke the world record in the semifinals, clocked the second fastest time ever in 1:54.35 to come in ahead of Japan’s Takashi Yamamoto, who took his first world medal, a silver.

It was a timely 25th birthday present for the man from Osaka who clocked 1:55.52.

Olympic champion Thomas Malchow of the United States had to settle for bronze in 1:55.66.

Earlier Alena Popchanka of Belarus claimed her world title in the women’s 200 metres freestyle title.

The 23-year-old timed 1:58.32 to come in ahead of Slovak Martina Moravcova in 1:58.44, with the bronze going to Yang Yu of China in 1:58.54.

Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima moved closer to his bid to reclaim his world record in the 200 metres breaststroke by clocking the second fastest time ever of 1:09.73 in the semifinals.

Wednesday’s results of finals:

Men’s 50 metres breaststroke: 1. James Gibson (Britain) 27.56 seconds; 2. Oleg Lisogor (Ukraine) 27.74; 3. Mihaly Flaskay (Hungary) 27.79; 4. Mark Warnecke (Germany) 27.87; 5. Darren Mew (Britain) 27.92; 6. Alessandro Terrin (Italy) 27.98; 7. Emil Tahirovic (Slovenia) 28.17. Mladen Tepavcevic (Yugoslavia) disqualified.

Women’s 200 metres freestyle: 1. Alena Popchanka (Belarus) one minute 58.32 seconds; 2. Martina Moravcova (Slovakia) 1:58.44; 3. Yu Yang (China) 1:58.54; 4. Lindsay Benko (US) 1:58.84; 5. Solenne Figues (France) 1:59.27; 6. Josefin Lillhage (Sweden) 1:59.28; 7. Elka Graham (Australia) 1:59.46; 8. Rhiannon Jeffrey (US) 1:59.81.

Men’s 200 metres butterfly: 1. Michael Phelps (US) 1:54.35; 2. Takashi Yamamoto (Japan) 1:55.52; 3. Thomas Malchow (US) 1:55.66; 4. Stephen Parry (Britain) 1:56.10; 5. Denis Sylantyev (Ukraine) 1:56.36; 6. Serhiy Advena (Ukraine) 1:57.21; 7. Justin Norris (Australia) 1:58.22; 8. Travis Nederpelt (Australia) 1:58.95.

Men’s 4x200 metres freestyle: 1. Australia 7:08.58 (Grant Hackett, Craig Stevens, Nicholas Sprenger, Ian Thorpe); 2. United States 7:10.26 (Michael Phelps, Nate Dusing, Aaron Peirsol, Klete Keller); 3. Germany 7:14.02 (Johannes Oesterling, Lars Conrad, Stefan Herbst, Christian Keller); 4. Italy 7:14.32 (Matteo Pelliciari, Emiliano Brembilla, Federico Cappellazzo, Massimiliano Rosolino); 5. Canada 7:17.38 (Brian Johns, Michael Mintenko, Mark Johnston, Richard Say); 6. Britain 7:18.99; (Simon Burnett, Ross Davenport, Robin Francis, Edward Sinclair); 7. Greece 7:20.60; (Nikolaos Xylouris, Athanasios Oikonomou, Andreas Zisimos, Dimitros Manganas); 8. China 7:27.96 (Yu Liu, Peng Wu, Shachua Huang, Zuo Chen).—AFP/Reuters