MELBOURNE, Australia, 10 August 2005 — Australian Libby Lenton broke her own day-old short-course world record in the 100-meter freestyle yesterday at her national championships.
Lenton won last night’s final in 51.70 seconds, beating the mark she set in Monday night’s semifinal in the 25-meter pool of 51.91.
The former world record of 52.17 was held since 2000 by Sweden’s Therese Alshammar.
Lenton said she and coach Stephan Widmar had targeted her start as a way to improve her time over the distance.
“Stephan told me to concentrate on my start because it was a bit slower than normal last night, so that’s where we thought we could get that extra little bit,” said Lenton.
The 20-year-old Lenton also won the 50-meter freestyle at the Montreal world championships in the 50-meter pool as well as gold with Australia in the 400-meter medley relay. Thorpe May Skip 400m Freestyle in Melbourne — coach.
Meantime, world and Olympic champion Ian Thorpe could skip the 400 meters freestyle at next year’s
Melbourne Commonwealth Games, his coach has said yesterday. Thorpe, who has not been beaten in a 400m final since 1998,
will concentrate on the shorter distances and could even replace the 400m with the 50m, according to coach Tracey Menzies.
“He just wants a bit of a break from it,” Menzies was quoted as saying in Melbourne’s The Age newspaper yesterday.
“Everyone knows the pressure he had as far as the 400 (last year). “I just think you need to find new stimulants and a new love in what you are doing and the break has probably been a good thing for him.”
Thorpe, who missed the Montreal world championships to take a break, has begun training again though will not return to competitive swimming until at least December.
Thorpe is also the world record holder in the 400m, with his 3.40.08 set at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in July 2002.
