First published in The Age on September 16, 1998
Thorpe leads the gold rush
The skyrocketing fortunes of star schoolboy Ian Thorpe continued last night when he demolished the world’s best opposition, fellow Australians Grant Hackett and Daniel Kowalski, in the 400 metres freestyle, and finished a stroke short of matching one of the greatest world records.
Ian Thorpe wins gold in the mens 400m freestyle with Australian teamates Grant Hackett (R) silver and Daniel Kowalski (L) bronze.Credit:Craig Golding
And in a major celebration for coach Doug Frost, another of his charges, Simon Cowley, mowed down teammate Ryan Mitchell in the last metre of the 200 breaststroke for his second gold medal of the Games.
It was yet another night of glory for the Australian swim team, which has won 17 gold medals this week, including five last night. In two of the races — the 400 metres freestyle and the 100 metres women’s butterfly, Australian swimmers hogged the dais, winning gold, silver and bronze.
They won 11 of the 15 medals on offer, leaving just the one silver relay medal and three bronze medals for Canada and England to share.
But the night did not go completely to the fairytale script, with the tigress of the pool, Susan O’Neill, being denied a record-equalling ninth Commonwealth Games gold medal when the butterfly bridesmaid, Petria Thomas, “came up No. 1, for a change” in the 100 metres butterfly. Teammate Kate Godfrey slashed a second off her best to claim the bronze medal.
The victorious mens 4x 100m freestyle relay team of Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe.Credit:Rod Taylor
Samantha Riley also had to be satisfied with a silver medal when world championship runner-up Helen Denman held off a determined late challenge to win the 100 metres breaststroke, with Canadian Lauren van Oosten in third place.
In the men’s 4 x 100 metres relay, the hot Australian team of Michael Klim, Ashley Callus, Thorpe and Chris Fydler blitzed the opposition to set a Games record of 3:17.83. But the main focus was on the earlier 400 metres race, in which world champion Thorpe appeared to cruise through the first 200, comfortably sitting on Hackett’s wake. But he was setting himself up for a realistic crack at the world record of Kieren Perkins — three minutes 43.80 seconds, which was set in Rome in 1994.
By the 300 metres mark, 15-year-old Thorpe had drawn away from Hackett, with whom he had duelled stroke for stroke at the world championships last January, and was on world-record pace. But even though he cranked up the pace in the final lap, he finished half a second short.
Thorpe’s winning time was 3:44.35, a Games record, with Hackett finishing in 3:44.88. Kowalski continued his bridesmaid tag, picking up the bronze medal in 3:48.91. The times of Thorpe and Hackett are not only the best in the world this year; they are now ranked two and three behind Perkins on the all-time list.
It was Thorpe’s fourth gold medal at the championships.
“I decided to go out a little faster tonight. I realised I can’t hold back and then expect to come over the top of these guys at an international meet,” said a beaming Thorpe. “It is a great swim for me, faster than I expected to go.”
Hackett, 17, said he still had plenty of energy left after the race, a pointer to the 1500 metres freestyle.
The win was not so clear-cut for Thorpe’s training partner, Cowley, who pipped Mitchell. Cowley, who had picked up the gold medal in the 100 metres breaststroke, timed his finish to perfection, recording a personal best of 2:13.13.
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