Thorpe breaks 400m freestyle world record

Thorpe breaks 400m freestyle world record

SYDNEY, MAY 13: Australian Ian Thorpe broke his own 400-metre freestyle World record at the Australian Olympic swimming trials here tonight.

``My main priority tonight was to make my first Olympic Games team, the time was irrelevant, I just had to make sure that I gained that selection,'' said Thorpe.

``I didn't think I had the best race tactically for me, but I was a bit surprised by the time.''

He streaked past his close rival Hackett to beat him by almost 10 secs or around half a lap.

Thorpe had held the previous World record at the Pan-Pacific Championships here last August.

The 17-year-old Thorpe is reigning world, Commonwealth Games and Australian champion for the event and a red-hot favourite to win the gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in September.

Thorpe's time today was 6.64 secs faster than New Zealander Danyon Loader took to win the gold medal in the event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.