Thorpedo homes in on record

IAN THORPE sped to his fifth gold medal of the Commonwealth Games when he won the 100 metres freestyle and equalled the men's aggregate Games record of titles with nine.

With two shots still to come for a historic seven titles, Thorpe, who won four golds at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, could surpass the aggregate of 10, achieved by fellow Australian Susie O’Neill, before the Games finish tomorrow.

The only other men to have compiled nine Commonwealth titles are English fencer Bill Hoskyns and Australian swimmer Mike Wenden.

Thorpe turned at 50 metres just 0.07 seconds ahead of team-mate Ashley Callus and stayed in front down the return length to win in a Commonwealth Games record of 48.73 seconds.

Callus, who won the world short-course title in Moscow in April, took the silver in 49.45 and South Africa’s Ryk Neethling clinched the bronze in 49.71.

Thorpe had earlier yielded first blood to world champion Matt Welsh in the morning heats for the 100 metres backstroke, the most perilous leg of his challenge for an unprecedented seven golds in a single Commonwealth Games.

Welsh clocked 56.35 to Thorpe’s 56.45 as they won their respective heats.

“I’m doing this event because I wanted to try something different. I’m hoping to do well but not expecting to,” said Thorpe, who has dominated his speciality freestyle events and has only adopted the backstroke simply because the event fitted into his hectic Games schedule.

Welsh, disqualified from Thursday’s 200 metres backstroke heats for allegedly moving before the start, made sure of avoiding another disqualification as he settled for the start with exaggerated correctness.

“I thought ‘I’m not moving!’ but I did the same start as I always do,” said Welsh, who won the inaugural Commonwealth 50 metres backstroke title on Wednesday but had his hopes of a golden backstroke treble dashed by the 200 disqualification.

“He (Thorpe) had to pick another event and it just happened to be mine. In the final I’m going to use my anger from the disqualification and put everything into it.

“I only think about myself. I’m doing it my way. I apologise for not thinking about him.” Thorpe has so far won gold in the 100, 200 and 400 metres freestyle and 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays, breaking his own record in the 400.

The backstroke final is on today and Thorpe will also contest the 4x100 medley relay on Sunday in his bid for seven golds in a single Games which would beat the six achieved in 1978 by Canada’s Graham Smith and in 1998 by Australia’s Susie O’Neill.