SWIMMING divas Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones smashed world records to steal the spotlight from superstar Grant Hackett on the final day of the Australian Short Course Championships in Hobart.
On the night of Hackett’s much anticipated return to the 1500m, Lenton and Jones both set new world records, the latter beating her own mark set yesterday.
Jones swam the 100m breaststroke in 1:03.86, knocking 0.26 seconds off last night’s record.
The five-time Olympic medallist, who now holds world short course records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, was overwhelmed with the accomplishment.
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“I didn’t think I actually had it in me so I just had to psych myself up for it and found something that I probably didn’t think I had,” she said after her win.
“You never know how much you’ve got left in you because last night I would’ve said I couldn’t go any faster.”
Lenton swam the 100m butterfly in 55.95 seconds, beating American Natalie Coughlin’s 2002 record of 56.34.
The win also put her ahead of rival Jessicah Schipper, who finished second on 56.66.
The dual Olympic medallist said it was a huge confidence boost to “get one up” on Schipper.
“She’s in fantastic form coming off the Pan Pacs so I knew she’d be hard to beat,” she said.
“It’s been hard over the past few years, I’ve always come second to Jess and no-one really took much notice of me even though I may have only been 0.1 behind her.
“Maybe now people might take me a bit more seriously as a butterflier.”
Hackett shadowed his own world record in the 1500m freestyle to produce the second-fastest time in history in a sensational comeback from shoulder surgery.
The world champion finished his pet event in 14:19.47 tonight, beating Kieren Perkins’ 1993 time of 14:26.52.
It was the first time Hackett had contested the gruelling distance since the FINA World Championships in Montreal last July.
The world champion said after the swim he was happy with his effort.
“To get up there like that, I’m not as unfit as I thought I was at this stage,” he said.
“I didn’t think I’d be swimming those sorts of times given my preparation.”
Hackett came into the event at only 70 to 80 per cent fitness but even that was enough to lap other competitors numerous times.
“It’s a long way to go for a gold medal I guess you could say, but it’s certainly an event I enjoy the challenge (of) and it’s nice to be back on top and be swimming fast again,” he said.
In other results, Queenslander Leith Brodie set a new Australian record in the men’s 200m individual medley.
Brodie won the event in 1:55.77, topping a seven-year-old record of 1:55.81 set by Matthew Dunn.
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