Records Go Down Under

If three world records fall in less than an hour, two of them taken out by Australians, and neither swimmer is named Ian Thorpe, did it really happen?

Oi.

Which would mean yes in Aussie-speak at the swimming world championships. The threesome -- Matt Welsh in the 50-meter butterfly final, Leisel Jones in the semifinals of the 100 breaststroke and Kosuke Kitajima of Japan in the final of the 100 breaststroke -- provided an appealing array of mettle and mirth Monday at Palau Sant Jordi.

There was another singular accomplishment, though it did not involve a world record. Jenny Thompson, 36, won the 100 butterfly in 57.96 seconds, becoming the most decorated female at the world championships, winning her 11th medal and second gold of this meet.

“I’m very excited about the newest accomplishment, but it’s not the medals that drive me,” said Thompson, who will return to medical school at Columbia in early August. “If anything, it gives me confidence going into an Olympic year.”

During the long translation into Spanish of one of her answers, Thompson glanced at a TV set, trying to see the men’s 100 breaststroke. Although the winner, Kitajima, was not a huge surprise, his world-record time of 59.78 was startling, considering he was in sixth place after the first 50 meters. Thompson chuckled when Kitajima punched the air with intense determination after his victory.

The previous mark of 59.94 had been set by Roman Sloudnov of Russia nearly two years ago in Fukuoka, Japan. Brendan Hansen of Havertown, Pa., finished second in 1:00.21 and James Gibson of Britain was third in 1:00.37.

“Now that I got the gold medal, it’s a good boost for the team and Japan too,” Kitajima said through a translator.

Said Hansen about Kitajima’s impact in Japan: “They’re looking for someone to cheer for and they finally got somebody.”

Welsh and Jones treated their world records with a mixture of shock and laughter. Jones broke a record that was nearly four years old, winning her heat in 1:06.37. Penny Heyns of South Africa had set the record of 1:06.52 in 1999 at Sydney, Australia. Jones, 17, put her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had done.

“I’m happy that it’s done, if I can put that back together again, I’d be happy with that,” said Jones, who called it one of her most perfect races.

Her swim overshadowed a stellar performance in the other heat by 21-year-old Amanda Beard of Irvine, who qualified with the second-fastest time of 1:07.57, a personal best.

“This was my best time by half a second,” Beard said. “You just don’t do that when you get to my age. You just don’t drop half a second off your best time. So it’s a huge confidence builder for me in the breaststroke.”

The third world record came from an unlikely spot: Lane 8.

Welsh finished in 23.43, breaking teammate Geoff Huegill’s 2001 record of 23.44.

“I was in Lane 8 and the only guy I could see was in Lane 7,” Welsh said. “I knew I was ahead of him, so I wasn’t going to come in last.”

He didn’t believe it when he saw the No. 1 by his lane number:

“The first thing that went through my mind is, ‘Oh my God, I’ve won. Oh my God, it’s a world record,’ ” he said.

Welsh joked that it was harder to get his coach to come down from the world-record high. He was already thinking of tonight’s 100 backstroke final. Aaron Peirsol of Irvine, who had the fastest qualifying time (54.28) out of the semifinals, was looking ahead too.

“This is the race I really want,” Peirsol said. “I think I’ve proven I can do the 200 back, and I want to show everybody I can do the 100 back as well.”

The night session was something of a recovery for the U.S., which had a disappointing morning. Defending world champion Natalie Coughlin didn’t get out of the preliminaries in the 100 backstroke, in which she holds the world record.

Beset by a 102-degree fever, Coughlin finished 22nd in 1:03.18. She became sick Saturday afternoon, and swimming a strong first leg of the 400 freestyle relay Sunday night may have taken its toll.

“It wasn’t helpless,” Coughlin said of her condition. “But it was definitely a struggle and a challenge. It’s something that will make me a better competitor and a better athlete. I just accepted that it was going to be a very painful race.

“Of course, I’m disappointed. The 100 back is really the one I care about the most. The other ones are just, you know, keeping busy. It was a bit of a shock.”

Though she had little left Monday night, Coughlin swam in the 100 butterfly final, finishing eighth in 59.63 after fading in the back half. Her coach at California, Teri McKeever, an assistant U.S. coach, admired Coughlin’s determination.

“I’ve coached her for over three years now and I simply can’t remember a time when she was sick and missed practice,” McKeever said. “She was just going to do the best she can. And again, I think that speaks more to her character. Just give everything you’ve got. You could tell there was kind of an empty tank.”

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Medal Madness

A look at the record 11 medals Jenny Thompson has won at the swimming world championships:

*--* 2003

*--*

* Gold -- 100-meter butterfly, 400-meter freestyle relay.

*--* 1998

*--*

* Gold -- 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 400-meter freestyle relay, 400-meter medley relay.

* Silver -- 800-meter freestyle relay.

*--* 1994

*--*

* Silver -- 400-meter freestyle relay, 400-meter medley relay.

* Bronze -- 800-meter freestyle relay.

*--* 1991 * Gold -- 400-meter freestyle relay *--*