Aussie Rice smashes record
2008-08-10 08:31
Beijing - Australian Stephanie Rice staged a daring smash and grab raid to claim the Olympic 400 metres individual medley gold medal in world record time at the Beijing Games on Sunday.
The 20-year-old went out hard and was almost four seconds under the world record at the halfway split to hold off a last lap challenge from Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry and claim gold in four minutes 29.45 seconds.
Rice shaved 1.67 seconds off the previous record held by Katie Hoff of 4:31.12 set at the US Trials on June 29.
Coventry finished with silver in an African record time of 4:29.89 with Hoff third in 4:31.77.
Rice now holds both 200/400m medley world records and boosted Australia's hopes of finishing as the leading women's swim team ahead of the Americans.
Rice has rocketed to Olympic stardom after taking bronze in both the 200 and 400m medley events at last year's world championships in Melbourne.
She had set the world record in the 400m medley at the Australian trials last March, only for Hoff to regain it three months later.
- AFP