Ian Thorpe wins record sixth world gold medal

Ian Thorpe collected a record sixth gold medal at the swimming world championships on Saturday when he anchored the Australian 4x100 metres medley team to a thrilling victory.

The 18-year-old reeled in Anthony Ervin with his final stroke to reach the wall a fingertip clear of the United States, who were later disqualified along with the Netherlands for faulty change-overs on the freestyle leg.

Australia took the gold in three minutes 35.35 seconds with Germany, who had finished third, promoted to silver and Russia elevated to the bronze medal position.

Thorpe's victory capped off another great night in the Marine Messe pool for the Australians who claimed three of the five titles on offer.

Petria Thomas added the 100 metres butterfly title to the 200 metres crown she won on Monday while Geoff Huegill won the 50 metres butterfly final before returning to the pool to win another gold as part of the relay team.

Natalie Coughlin brought the United States their ninth gold medal of the meet, and their only win of the night, when she hung on to win the women's 100 metres backstroke title.

She built up a massive lead on the first length but tired on the return length and only just held off hard-challenging Olympic gold medallist Diana Mocanu of Romania.

CLUNG ON

Coughlin clung on to win in one minute 0.37 seconds as Mocanu, winner of Wednesday's 200 metres backstroke, took the silver in 1:00.68. Germany's Antje Buschschulte took the bronze in 1:01.42.

Germany's Hannah Stockbauer completed the women's distance freestyle double when she won the inaugural women's 1,500 metres after taking the 800 crown on Monday.

Stockbauer duelled with American Diana Munz for the first 900 metres and then cut loose to win in 16 minutes 1.02 seconds.

European champion Flavia Rigamonti of Switzerland came through strongly in the second half of the race, passing the tiring Munz over the last 200 metres to take the silver in 16:05.99. Munz took the bronze in 16:07.05.

Thomas also completed a golden double, leading all the way in the 100 metres butterfly to win in 58.27 seconds.

Poland's Otylia Jedrzejczak took the silver in 58.72 and Japan's Junko Onishi had the home crowd cheering on her way to the bronze in 58.88.

Thomas should have secured a third gold medal for the 4x200m relay but instead she got the Australian team disqualified after jumping into the pool to celebrate apparent victory before the last team had finished the race.

RECORD TIME

Huegill, who broke his own world record with a time of 23.44 in Friday's semifinals, clinched the 50 metres butterfly final in 23.50.

Sweden's Lars Frolander completed his medal set, coming through for the silver in 23.57 after winning gold in the 100 metres butterfly and bronze in the 100 freestyle.

World short-course champion Mark Foster of Britain took the bronze in 23.62.

All eyes, though, were on Thorpe in the concluding men's relay. The Sydney teenager had broken his own world records to win the 300 metres, 400 and 800 freestyle titles and anchored the 4x100 metres and 4x200 metres teams to victory, the latter also in world record time.

He lost his perfect record when he finished fourth behind Ervin in Friday's 100 metres freestyle final, a new event he was trying.

But he still became the first swimmer in history to win six golds at a world championship when he linked up with backstroker Matt Welsh, breaststroker Regan Harrison and Huegill to win in a championship record time of three minutes 35.35 seconds.

Thorpe moved clear of Americans Jim Montgomery, in 1973, and Tracy Caulkins, in 1978, who both won five gold medals at a single world championship.