Ian Thorpe has claimed his third gold medal of the world swimming championships and set his second world recordin three days.
He won a great duel with fellow Australian Grant Hackett in the 800 metres freestyle final today in a world record seven minutes 39.16 seconds in an event new to the men's world championship programme.
Thorpe, who had swum the 200 metres freestyle semi-finals less than 20 minutes before he dived in for the 800 metres, cut loose on the last length of the16-length race.
Thorpe won his first two gold medals on Sunday when he broke his own world record to retain his 400 metres freestyle title and anchored Australiato victory in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
Thorpe hit the front at the 750-mark when he touched just 0.01 seconds ahead of Hackett and then forged away to win by more than a secondwith his famous hard-kicking finish.
Hackett clocked 7:40.34, also inside Thorpe's previous world mark. Britain's Graeme Smith took the bronze in 7:51.12.