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Aussie duo smash world records
22/03/2008 16:50 - (SA)
Sydney - The first night at the Australian swimming championships and Olympic trials was pretty eventful, with two world records being set.
Stephanie Rice broke the world mark in the 400m individual medley, finishing in a time of 4:31.46. That took 1.43 seconds off American Katie Hoff's mark of 4:32.89 set on April 1 at last year's world championships in Melbourne.
The 19-year-old took almost six seconds off her personal best time.
"I was so in shock," Rice said. "I saw my time... but I did not think I would go that fast."
Later, Emily Seebohm broke the world record in the non-Olympic 50m backstroke. Seebohm finished in a time of 27.95 seconds, taking 0.05 seconds off American Hayley McGregory's mark set two weeks ago.
"The goal was pretty much all this season to get that world record... I just had to go under 28 this time," Seebohm said.
McGregory set the previous mark in Austin, Texas on March 7.
Rice and Seebohm's achievements overshadowed the bigger names of Grant Hackett and Libby Trickett, formerly Libby Lenton.
Hackett, the two-time 1 500m Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, produced the fastest time in the 400m freestyle in three years - 3:43.15.
Trickett, swimming for the first time under her married name and winner of five world championship gold medals last year, was fastest in a semi-final of the 100m butterfly, finishing in 58.55.
That was just ahead of Jessicah Schipper (58.60), the world record holder over 200m. The final is on Sunday.
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Rugby
